Always Be My Baby
by Kris Black
Summary: After going over lines for TDM, Kyoko and Ren have a night of passion and the result could not only cause a scandal, but ruin both of their careers. How will the two lovers withstand the trials of their love?
1. Chapter 1

**Always Be My Baby**

by Kris Black

**Summary:** After going over lines for _TDM_, Kyoko and Ren have a night of passion and the result could not only cause a scandal, but ruin both of their careers. How will the two lovers withstand the trials of their love?

**Quick Note**: This story starts in the manga when Ren invites Kyoko over to run over lines for _The Dark Moon_.

**IF YOU READ THIS CHAPTER BEFORE, PLEASE RE-READ IT! IT IS DIFFERENT! Sorry for any inconvenience.**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any part of _Skip Beat!_ the manga or the anime. I do not own any characters listed in this story except those you don't recognize. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money is being made off of the story as a whole, or in part.

**AN**: Hello again, everybody! It's been _too_ long, believe me, I know. I have been writing on paper _forever_ and have finally decided to post something. Here it is. This chapter is a little short because I just mainly used it to set things up so I can set things in motion. I hope you enjoy it. I have been playing with this plotline in my head for _months_ and have about a zillion drafts for it lol. Don't forget to review!

**AN2: **_**Important Notice**_: As I stated before, I have about a zillion drafts for this. This is a better draft, after fixing some of the things my AMAZING reviewers have pointed out. Thank you for all of your feedback. _Ecki_, thanks for pointing out that Yashiro doesn't drive; I can't believe that I completely forgot! Also thanks for the name. A few others mentioned that the characters were out of character, which I completely agreed, so I re-wrote most of this chapter for that reason – also to lengthen the story, which I felt I drove by way to fast in the previous version. Thanks!

* * *

Kyoko reached into the counter, extending her body as far as she could on her poorly made 'ladder'. She heard the door to the kitchen open slightly, and jumped a bit, wobbling, when she heard Ren's voice called out.

"What are you doing?"

"I am trying to reach the kettle," she answered, strained. "Do you always keep these things this high up?"

"I'll get it for you," Ren sighed, moving over towards her.

"Don't move," he warned.

Ren walked over and reached up to get the kettle off of the top shelf, Kyoko wavered. He pulled his arms down just in time to catch her – the impact sending them tumbling to the floor. Ren's hands instantly went to Kyoko's head to protect it from the impact.

Ren had always known what his ideal woman was, someone with a slim body, soft hair and an alluringly-sweet scent, these are the woman that Ren had always had, the ones that fit the best in his arms. But Kyoko's scent, her touch, sent emotions through him that he had never felt before in his life. He pulled her to him tighter.

"Se-Sensei?" Kyoko's small voice asked from below him. "Are you not feeling well again?"

Ren froze, realizing that while Kyoko remained true to character, he was only thinking that he couldn't help but hug her tighter. Slowly, he realized his hold on her back.

He looked down at Kyoko who was staring back up at him, his hand beneath her head. She appeared to be unharmed, but Ren wasn't totally confident in that considering the way that she was looking at him. He didn't make a move to remove his hands from behind her head, or to move off of her outstretched body, and she didn't make a move to remove him herself.

He knew that he shouldn't, that it would be both unprofessional and unsafe to, but Ren moved one of his hands and pulled his fingers through Kyoko's hair, down across her jaw and to her lips; Kyoko's eyes never left his face. He traced her lips tenderly.

"Do you have any experience in kissing?" He asked softly.

"N-n-no," she stuttered. "Why?"

"Do you want me to teach you?" He leaned in slowly.

Kyoko couldn't discern whether or not she and Ren were still acting or not. She knew that Mizuki would have backed away from her teacher at this point; she would have stopped Katsuki. All Kyoko could manage to do was close her eyes. The result was a fury of passionate kissing that Kyoko never knew existed.

"We shouldn't be doing this," Ren breathed to her as they broke apart for a few moments for air, looking down at her like she was her universe.

"We shouldn't be doing this," Kyoko agreed before taking his lips hungrily again.

She had never kissed anyone before, unless you counted Sho's family on the cheeks, but that was nothing like what she was experiencing with Ren, and she never wanted it to stop.

Ren managed to get Kyoko up off the floor without breaking contact and immediately pushed her up against the kitchen wall. Breaking for more air, Ren asked:

"Kyoko?"

Her heart skipped a beat when he heard him call her by her given name. She reached up and touched his cheek and he leaned in again and began a trail down her neck. Soon enough, they managed to make their way to his bedroom.

As soon as Ren shut the door behind them she grabbed his shirt. He managed to walk them over to the bed before Kyoko fell over, pulling Ren on top of her onto the silky sheets. Ren removed his shirt in seconds and her hands were all over his upper body as she writhed beneath him. He moved down to her neck once more. It took him a few moments before he realized that they _really_ shouldn't be doing this.

"We can't," Ren groaned as he made to move away from Kyoko.

Her hand shot out and grabbed his arm.

"Please," she begged. "Please Ren, don't leave me."

She looked desperate, like this one disappointment in life would break her. Ren was positive that no man could ever resist the luring temptation of his Kyoko in this moment, not even the saintliest of saints. With that thought in mind, Ren returned to her.

The next morning Kyoko woke up in a soft, smooth bed. Yawning, she stretched out wide, and realized that this – in fact – was not her bed. Had she been in _her_ bed, her legs and arms would have stretched out past the sides of the bed; had she been in her bed she would have been clothed! Kyoko took a deep breath in and thought back to the night previous. It had been glorious, wonderful, and spectacular; however, she had fallen asleep immediately afterwards and had failed to return home. She hoped that the owners of the shop were not too angry with her.

'Oh god,' she thought. 'If Ren is still here, what am I going to say to him? I can't believe I did that with Ren, he's not only my senior but he's _Tsuruga Ren_!"

She turned to her right and sighed in relief when she saw that he was no longer in the bed. She jumped up and dashed around the room, retrieving her clothing and throwing them on as quickly as possible. Her thighs ached like never before, so she tired to be careful in her haste. She jumped when the alarm went off. Hurrying over, she turned the evil thing off, noticing a note beside the bed.

Kyoko,

I am sorry that I am not here to meet you this morning, but I had to go to the set of_ Dark Moon_ early to fix the schedules from missing so much time. You are welcome to my shower if you like.

Ren

Kyoko smiled as she read the note. She folded it gently and placed it in her pocket before making her way to Ren's bathroom. No matter what, Ren was Ren, always looking out for her. She had slept in, and because she didn't have her bike here, she didn't have a way to get home and to work on time – but she didn't blame Ren, he probably wouldn't have known that because he always drove.

* * *

Kyoko ran all the way to the set of _Dark Moon_ as fast as she could manage, still wearing her clothes from yesterday. Her shower had lasted a bit longer than expected. She wouldn't be able to bear it if she didn't watch Ren regain his old self, to truly prove to everyone that he was fully capable of handling this character as he was every other character he had ever done.

"Good morning, everyone! I look forward to working with you today!" Kyoko exclaimed, beaming because Ren was finally coming back to work after a four-day hiatus.

She was expecting a boisterous and excited crowd, all happy that Ren had returned to work. What she was not expecting was to see the President of LME and Ren staring each other down like they were about to have a duel with poor Director Ogata stuck in the middle like a scared rabbit.

"Um..." Kyoko whispered quietly to a set of the crew. "Why does it feel so tense? Why is the President here?"

The crew members all gave her a strange look and she looked back, startled as they ran a little ways away from here and started whispering hurriedly to each other. Kyoko looked nervously from them to Ren and the President and back.

"Hey...?" Kyoko called to the crew members.

"Actually, Kyoko-chan," one of the members started. "You missed the President the first few times he visited the set to watch Tsuruga-san. Today is the day that Tsuruga-san must prove to the President that he can perform the role of Katsuki or else be replaced."

Kyoko's eyes widened to the size of baseballs. That's why Ren had wanted to go over lines last night! Why hadn't he told her? Was she not important enough for him to even tell her this one little thing that could affect his whole career? Even after what happened last night?!

"Please, everyone, calm down. At least before Momose-san arrives," the director tried to ease the tension.

"I refuse to show favouritism to anyone, even Ren," the President stated clearly. "If you do not perform up to standards, I already have an actor in line to replace you."

Ren stayed calm and looked the President straight in the eye.

"I will exceed all of your expectations," Ren glared.

"Those are big word, you better remember them."

Everyone had been sent to get ready while they waited for Momose to arrive. Ren could have sworn he had seen Kyoko in his peripheral, but she was no where to be seen now.

"Excuse me; have you seen Mogami-san?" Ren asked a passing crew member.

"Yeah, I just saw her over by the palm tree prop in the corner; it looks like she is sulking."

Ren's eyes furrowed as he thanked the crew member and hurried over to the palm tree in the distance. He wasn't expecting the hate-filled demon-glare directed at him when he got there, causing him to freeze up for a few moments.

"Uh... W-What are you doing here... all alone?" Ren asked.

She looked at him for a few minutes before replying in a scary Mio-like voice,

"I'm enjoying my solitude. Can't you tell? It reminds me of my lonely past..."

"Really?" He asked, moving a bit closer. "Are you upset about something?"

"I'm not upset," she replied in a voice more terrifying than the first. "What reason is there to be upset?"

Ren was worried. Did she regret what happened the night before? Was the sight of him making her sick? Did she want to forget it ever happened and never see him again in her life, even though the thought of it made his heart break?

She paused for another moment, her voice faltering a bit and then softening.

"Everyone knowing something besides for me, being excluded, I am already used to stuff like that."

Ren visibly relaxed. She wasn't having doubts about what happened last night, she just hadn't found out about the possibility of him losing his job yet.

"Are you referring, by any chance, to what's happening today?"

Her shoulders tensed up again and she glared at him once more, voice dropping.

"Tsuruga-san, you already knew that I was the only one who was un-informed?"

"I guessed."

A silence rang loud between them as she pulled her legs closer to her chest and laid her head down completely against her knees. Ren looked down at her, feeling completely useless. He sat down in the fake-sand beside her, but far enough away that she wouldn't feel pressured.

"It wasn't my intention to exclude you," he told her.

"I know," she replied in her normal tone, her voice soft. She lifted her head from her knees to speak.

"It's just that – I was the last one to stay by your side, but I was the only one who didn't know about such an important issue. I didn't suspect anything; I was the only one who didn't know anything. It makes me a little sad."

She clenched her arms and put her head back down to her knees.

Ren looked down at Kyoko, his face expressionless. He didn't know what she wanted from him. Was this some sort of test to his wisdom? A test of the level of their relationship? Was she trying to _seduce_ him?

'No,' he thought. 'Kyoko isn't like that at all. She's probably thinking that no one thinks that she pays enough attention...' He placed a hand on her shoulder.

Kyoko looked up when Yashiro walked over and tapped Ren on the shoulder, informing him that Momose had finally arrived on set. They both stood up at the same time, and Kyoko followed Ren and Yashiro over to the stage. Kyoko heard cast and crew members whispering, wondering how Ren was going to perform.

"Director?" Ren's voice cut through the mumbled-whispers of everyone around. "I would like to ask for a favour. Following the part where Mizuki cuts herself on the cup, is it alright if I diverge from the script?"

That question got everyone's attention. What was Ren thinking? Kyoko's heart pounded hard in her chest and it was making it hard to breathe.

"You would like to improvise?" Director Ogata asked. "That's a lot to ask, Tsuruga-san. How does Momose-san feel about this?"

"Momose-san will be happy to perform like this," Ren said, not even looking at his co-star. "I mean, after doing this scene so many times, she must be tired of it."

"But Tsuruga-san, if the scene deviates we will have to cut in the middle," the director tried to argue.

"Do not worry, Director. The scene will end the same way as it does in the script. I can assure you, I will definitely make Momose-san act it out."

Kyoko looked over to Momose-san; she did _not_ look pleased that Ren has just said that he would control her acting in anyway he chooses. Kyoko stood stunned, just staring ahead at Ren. Momose-san did not look like she was going to cooperate, would Ren have enough skill to make her anyway?

No, Kyoko thought. Ren would definitely succeed – he was the greatest actor in all of Japan. The director had agreed with Ren's wish, which didn't surprise Kyoko, no one could say no to Ren when he was determined. Yashiro walked over to Kyoko as everyone prepared to get the scene underway.

"Is something wrong Kyoko?" He asked. "You look like you were up all night, and you're wearing the same clothes that you had on yesterday."

'Leave it up to Yashiro-san to remember something like that,' Kyoko thought dismally, but replied chipper: "I was up studying late last night, and I must have fallen asleep in my clothes. I was in such a hurry to get here that I must have forgotten to change."

When Ren walked out onto the stage, Kyoko's breath hitched. He sat down on the couch and looked over briefly at her, and she smiled encouragingly back before he looked away. The moment that Director Ogata yelled "Action" Kyoko watched as Ren released all of his acting skills out on his poor co-star. Momose appeared to be trying to make Ren fail, but Kyoko knew that no matter what, Ren would lead his co-star exactly to where he wanted her to be.

"He's using the lines and motions that we practiced last night," Kyoko whispered when she realised what Ren was doing. 'Before we got distracted...' She blushed at the thought.

"What was that, Kyoko-Chan?"

"Oh, nothing Yashiro-san, I was just wondering what to eat for lunch," Kyoko laughed awkwardly.

Kyoko continued watching Ren perform, it was absolutely perfect – every conveyed feeling, every small touch, every look at an immeasurable amount of emotion in it. However, when the time came for him to show Katsuki's love for Mizuki, Kyoko felt like someone took a space heater to her heart and at the same time, tried to resuscitate it.

That angelic smile, the look he was now giving to Mizuki, he had often looked at her the same way.

'But Mizuki is the girl that he loves here, in this scene,' Kyoko thought irrationally. 'Yet, he shows me that same smile... the same smile... Could it be that I am not as disliked as I thought? I know that we had something last night, but could it have been more than that?'

Kyoko watched as Ren finished the scene as promised, bringing it back to where it had ended in the script. He finished it so beautifully that the Director hesitated to "cut". Ren stepped down from the stage and everyone looked between him and the President.

"Well, that was well done," he said finally. "For you, that is. You pass."

"Thank You sir," Ren smiled. "And I am sorry, Momose-san, for deliberately baiting you to benefit myself. I was only able to say all of that because you were my partner and you are a proud and skilled actress."

Kyoko, who was standing between the two, had her eyes widen. He had planned to bait his co-star all along, because she was a talented actress.

"From the start, I believed it would work well, since it was you, Momose-san."

Momose blushed as Kyoko looked down at her feet. Everyone began to compliment Ren profusely, arguing that his Katsuki was far better than the former. He thanked them all smiling, before looking over to the too-quiet Kyoko, who was usually quick with her praise. Her head was bent down, and she was being absolutely still.

He bent over and looked over at her to get a good look at her face. She looked sad and he couldn't figure out why.

"Kyoko? What's the matter?" He asked, still bent over. "Are you alright? Are you feeling ill or-?

She looked up suddenly, as if she had just noticed Ren was there.

"No," she said simply, taking a step back from their proximity to each other. "It's nothing, Tsuruga-san."

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Huh?"

"Why did you take a step back?" Ren asked. "Why are you calling me Tsuruga-san? I would think that after last night we were past such formalities."

"Um, there's no deep reason," Kyoko stammered.

Ren looked down at her and crossed his arms – he didn't believe her at all.

"Tsuruga-san, there President wants to talk to you," Director Ogata said promptly as he ran over.

Ren looked over and the president motioned with his hand for Ren to come. He nodded and glanced back at Kyoko.

"Don't move," he warned and walked away angrily.

"Sorry, were you in the middle of a discussion?" Ogata asked.

"No- no not at all," Kyoko waved him off, looking back to Ren who appeared to be in deep conversation with the President.

Accepting her reply, the director called out to everyone to take their lunch break. The crowd dispersed and Kyoko remained rooted in place. How could she possibly explain to Ren that she was jealous and envious of Momose-san; that she wondered when Ren would ever be able to speak so confidently about her acting abilities should she ever play opposite of him.

Would he make her fall in love with him, like he did with all his other co-stars? She shivered, hugging herself slightly. She never wanted such an unwanted feeling every again, to love was to hurt, and she never wanted to be hurt again.

"Kyoko?" Ren interrupted her thought process. She instantly dropped her arms down to her sides.

"If it's alright, why don't we go have lunch now?" Ren asked nicely and Kyoko froze. She turned to look at him slowly, terrified of the glare she was sure he was shooting her, the glare that came from the Prince of Darkness.

"S-Sure," Kyoko stuttered, and looked to Yashiro for help, who had waited for Ren. His eyes widened and he looked away – traitor.

Ren grabbed Kyoko's wrist and pulled her gently after him. He turned down a couple of corridors and pulled her into an empty room, shutting the door behind him softly.

"Tsu-Tsuruga-san," she stuttered again, unsure.

"Tsuruga-san, am I?" Ren asked darkly. "That's not what you were calling me last night."

"What is all this about?" Kyoko asked meekly. "It would look strange if I suddenly started calling you Ren."

"Well, how about you drop the 'Tsuruga-san' once and for all, Kyoko?" He asked. "It wouldn't be so strange. I have called you Kyoko since this morning, no one thinks anything of it."

"But you are my senior-"

"And I am also your sensei, your friend, and quite recently your lover," Ren scolded and Kyoko blushed. "It wouldn't be unheard of for you to call me Ren."

"Is that all that this is about, Tsu-" he glared at her. "Ren-kun."

"I guess that'll have to do for now," Ren sighed, kissing the top of her head gently. "But no, it's not all. I wanted to talk about us, to clear the air in anyway."

His stomach growled.

"Can we talk about it later, Ren-kun?" Kyoko asked, still blushing. "I think that we both need to eat, at least, first."

"I'm sorry, I can't right now Kyoko," Ren sighed. "I just used that as an excuse to talk to you. I have to meet with the President for a few minutes outside. When we're finished, how about we eat lunch together?"

"Alright," Kyoko smiled and watched him walk out of the empty room.

"Kyoko-chan, I think that you should eat lunch before-hand," Yashiro said as they sat at their usual lunch table. "I'll wait for Ren, okay?"

"Ah, no it's okay," Kyoko said, wringing her hands slightly. She couldn't explain to Yashiro what had happened between her and Ren; not until they at least figured it out themselves.

"Oh, could it be that you want to eat together with Ren?" He joked.

"You're wrong!" Kyoko growled, her demonic voice overcoming her again. "That's not true _at all_! As a freshman from the same office I couldn't _possibly_ eat without my senior!"

"Y-you don't have to use that completely terrifying voice to deny something as simply as that," Yashiro said lightly. "Haven't you been over-reacting when a topic concerns Ren, Kyoko?"

Kyoko paused and looked down. She was leaning over the table, her hand still in the air from shaking it.

"I-I'm sorry Yashiro-san. I didn't mean to over-react."

"It's alright Kyoko," Yashiro smile sweetly, as usual. "Why don't you run out and see what is taking Ren so long, before lunch is over?"

Kyoko nodded and slumped out of her chair and out the door. It wasn't hard to spot where Ren was once she was out the doors, who else but the President would drive a pearl-encased stretch Hummer?

* * *

**AN:** That's all folks! _**Please review**_ to get me to write the next chapter - believe me, I know from lots of experience that reviews are the key to motivating any author to update quicker.

**AN2:** Please review again, I'm not doing this to get my review count up, I swear! I just really want some honest feedback to improve my story! Thanks.

**NEXT CHAPTER: ** Ren and the Director have a talk; Kyoko begins to notice her body is changing!


	2. Chapter 2

**Always Be My Baby**

by Kris Black

**Summary:** After going over lines for _TDM_, Kyoko and Ren have a night of passion and the result could not only cause a scandal, but ruin both of their careers. How will the two lovers withstand the trials of their love?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any part of _Skip Beat!_ the manga or the anime. I do not own any characters listed in this story except those you don't recognize. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money is being made off of the story as a whole, or in part.

**AN**: Okay, now that I have the basics done in the first chapter, I can start getting into my plotline! Woot! Thank you to all who have reviewed so far. I hope you start getting excited, the last part of this chapter starts getting deeper! Also, if you have not re-read the edited first chapter already, I suggest you do so now, because it is drastically different from before. Thanks!

* * *

"Use it?" Ren asked stunned. "It was only a trial."

"Apparently, Director Ogata thought that it was brilliant. He wants to use the one you just did, he's not cutting anything – he wants to get the raw emotion of surprise from both of you."

Ren nodded quietly.

"That's not much of a reaction," the President noted. "But I have to tell you, when you first came to Japan everyone said that you had closed you 'old' self off; today you showed your true self for the first time in years."

Ren clenched his fists tightly.

* * *

Kyoko walked slowly over to the Hummer, debating with herself the whole way. Was it really okay to interrupt Ren when he could be in such an important discussion? What if he forgot it was lunchtime, after all he only eats minimally! Would he remember that he promised to eat lunch with her? She really shouldn't disrupt them, but his health could suffer...

'Maybe I'll just stand beside here and see if he notices me,' Kyoko thought and planted her feet beside the hummer, swaying slightly with all the rampant thoughts running through her head.

She looked up at the silhouette that appeared to be Ren and discovered that she could see right through the glass; she could see the forlorn look that looked completely out of place on Ren's usual face, his emotions hidden behind his demeanour. Kyoko froze instantly, all scrambled thoughts vanished from her head.

'What can I do to help him?' Kyoko wondered.

Her eyebrows furrowed. She began pacing back and forth in small circles, wondering what could be getting Ren down, especially after he had put on such a great performance. Should she really interrupt the two of them?

* * *

"I am not criticizing you, so no need to pull a face like that," the President scolded. "It was a last resort for you to truly show the feelings of Katsuki. It's about time that you begin to forgive yourself. You have to let it go Ren; you need your 'old' self to truly create a better Katsuki than the previous. Harness it."

Ren snapped his head up instantly from where he had been looking at his feet. He glared at the President for a few seconds, who glared back, before his expression turned into one of amusement. Ren turned around and glanced at something moving outside of the window and his expression immediately softened.

"Isn't that Mogami-san?" The president asked Ren. "What is she doing, walking around in a figure-eight around the outside of the Hummer?"

The president paused for a moment. Ren and Kyoko were friends.

"Oh, could she be waiting for you?" He teased.

The director looked back to look at Ren, who was staring at the distraught Kyoko out the window, the look on his face the same as the one he had been showing to his co-star during filming earlier that day.

"Y-You?! Why of all things did this fall to someone who is so hard to deal with, and the first person in the Love-Me Section?" He exclaimed at the now-stunned Ren. "Do you like the path to eternal fighting?"

"Wha-what are you talking about?"

"That look on your face! It is so easy to tell, you gave that look to Mizuki in the screen test earlier!"

The president passed Ren a mirror and Ren instantly relaxed his face.

"It must have slipped," he replied in a semi-casual sort of way.

"Well, I guess that it is better for you that she is tough. That way she'll be able to fight you; after all, you think that you are not worthy of love, correct?"

Ren looked back at him sadly, but didn't reply. He simply stood quietly and exited the Hummer to meet Kyoko.

* * *

"Kyoko?" Ren asked, looking around to where she had just been standing.

"Ren-kun!" Kyoko exclaimed, running towards him from the opposite direction he had seen her.

She ran up to him and stopped quickly, grasping her knees and gasping for breath.

"Kyoko?" Ren asked again, looking down at her.

She simply stood up and smiled. She put her hand out as if to give him something. He reached out and she plopped a cold-hard stone into her hand.

'Corn,' he thought deftly. 'Does this mean-'

"I saw you earlier in the Hummer," Kyoko explained. "You looked like you and the President were talking about something serious. I kept trying to think of something that would help, but this was all I could think of. Hold it up like this."

Kyoko motioned to hold the stone up to the sun, while Ren just stared at her, thinking about how the tables had suddenly turned from their childhood to now.

"You know, Ren-kun, if you don't follow my example I look like an idiot."

"Oh, right," Ren smiled and held the familiar stone up to the sun, watching it change colour like he remembered.

"That," Kyoko whispered. "Is magic. A fairy prince gave it to me when I was small."

Ren snickered. He couldn't believe that she still believed all that stuff.

"Did you just laugh at me?" She asked darkly.

"No," Ren replied hastily, his face a stony mask of acting.

"It's true. He was the prince of the fairies, except he couldn't fly because his wings hadn't grown yet," Kyoko paused. "Actually that's not true. His wings had grown many times before, but every time he tried to fly high his father, the king, his fingers would crush the prince's wings and he would have to start all over again."

Ren looked down at Kyoko. He couldn't believe that she still remembered that whole story. She had her face cast down so that he couldn't see.

"I wonder how he is doing now. He must have grown into an adult by now, with large and beautiful wings. I am sure that he was able to soar through his father's fingers into the sky. I am sure that now he can fly more freely than anyone."

"I wonder," Ren mused to the girl.

"Why are you always such an antagonist?" Kyoko asked darkly. "Corn was born to be a king, and the king is born with the power to stand above everyone else. Corn couldn't do it because he was still a child – but the adult Corn would surely be able to become an amazing king!"

Ren looked down to Kyoko and smiled as she looked up to the blue skies that she probably saw Corn soaring through with his beautiful wings. He closed the space between them quickly and pulled her against him in a tight hug.

"Sometimes I wonder if you were really born as a fairy, Kyoko," he stated.

Kyoko kept her arms limp at her sides, surprised at the sudden emotion that Ren was displaying. Sure, the previous night he had held her tight like this, but she was not expecting a repeat performance.

"R-ren-kun?"

"You know if you don't follow my example I look like an idiot," Ren joked.

Kyoko smiled and brought her arms up and wrapped them around his torso and hugged him back tightly.

"Thank you, Kyoko."

She pulled away slightly and looked at him, confused. He pulled Corn up and kissed the stone gently before placing it back into her hands.

"I'll be alright now," he said simply. "This is your treasured possession, isn't it?"

Kyoko blushed and nodded gently, closing her hands around the stone.

It was shortly after that that the top audience rating for _Dark Moon_ surpassed that of its predecessor _Tsukimori.

* * *

  
_

Her cell phone woke her up, which was unusual. No one ever called Kyoko before six-thirty in the morning – especially on a Saturday.

'What could be so important as to wake someone up at such an ungodly hour?' She wondered as the demons swarmed around her.

She grabbed the offending cell phone and opened it up. The name Yashiro-san flashed repeatedly on her screen, she hit the button quickly.

"Yashiro-san?"

"Kyoko-chan, are you still at home?" Yashiro asked in a panicked voice.

"Of course I am, it's six-thirty on a Saturday," Kyoko replied. "Is something wrong? Did something happen to Ren?"

"Well, you could say that. Kyoko, whatever you do, don't look out your window."

"My window?" She asked and walked over to peek out quickly.

Thousands of flashes went of, rendering her temporarily blind.

"Kyoko-chan, are you alright? I told you not to look-"

"Yashiro-san, what is going on?" Kyoko asked terrified.

"Let me talk to her, all you're managing to do is scare her!" Ren's angry voice sounded in the background of the phone as, she assumed, he snatched it away from his manager.

"Kyoko, are you still there?"

"Ren-kun? What's going on...?"

"Kyoko, a story was leaked to the tabloids regarding that thing that happened last month."

"What?" Kyoko froze. "H-how did they find out about that? We- I..."

"Don't panic, it's not that big of a deal. Apparently some paparazzi have been following us around for a while, taking some photos and blowing them out of proportion. We're sending a company car over for you right now."

The world spun around in a haze and Kyoko's eyes widened. The smell of eggs cooking wafted from downstairs and bile rose up in her throat. Kyoko dropped her cell phone on the floor and raced to the bathroom as fast as she could, spilling the contents of her stomach into the toilet.

"Kyoko? Kyoko, what's wrong – are you alright?" The older woman from the daruma ran in to check on her.

"My, my phone," Kyoko managed to croak out hoarsely, knowing that Ren was probably about to blow a gasket for her sudden disappearance from the line.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Ren asked as soon as she managed to say a gentle hello.

"I was just a little sick. It's probably just from the overwhelming shock. Don't worry, I'll be fine. I'll see you in a bit, alright?"

"Okay. Stay away from the windows and doors, the body guard from the company will come in to get you. Be sure to cover your head when he escorts you out."

"Alright."

"Oh, and Kyoko?"

"Yes?"

"Be careful."

The line went dead and Kyoko picked herself up from the floor and washed her face and brush her teeth. She hurried to her room and threw on some clothes before brushing her hair quickly through a couple of times.

"I am sorry for the trouble," Kyoko said to the owners of the daruma when they came up to check on her again. "I never knew that any of this would happen. If anyone comes by again when I am gone, call the police or LME."

"We're worried about _you_ Kyoko," the man replied. "Have you read what those gossip columns said? They are saying horrible things about you – you can't let them get to you."

"Oh, believe me, I can handle it," Kyoko said in a sinister way, thinking back to what the girls in middle school used to call her because of her relationship with Sho.

"The car is here Kyoko," the woman called out to her.

Kyoko looked down, demons swarming around her. There was no way she was putting something over her head like a coward. None of what these people were saying was true and she didn't care what they wrote about her. The body guard came in; as soon as the door opened thousands of flashes went off in hopes that one of them would catch Kyoko in her home.

"Maybe you should put this over your head, Mogami-san," the man suggested as he passed Kyoko a black coat.

"I would rather not," Kyoko replied as she grabbed her duffel that she has packed quickly and slung it over her shoulder.

"If you say so," the body guard looked uncomfortable. "Are you ready?"

Kyoko nodded, demons still flowing around her. The body guard looked at her terrified for a moment before leading her out, keeping a careful distance from her to ensure that the invisible demons wouldn't choke the life out of him.

The lights went off immediately when the door opened once more. Kyoko kept her head down to keep herself from going blind as the body guard pushed his way through the crowd amid shouts of questions:

"Are you and Tsuruga Ren in a relationship?"

"How long have you been sleeping together?"

"Is this how you got your job on _Dark Moon_?"

"Is it true that you are dating Fuwa Sho _and_ Tsuruga Ren?"

Kyoko couldn't make out anymore of the questions, and she was sure that she didn't want to. Her demons grew larger in form and number and spread out around her, creating a miniature barrier between her and the shouting torrid of reporters. The body guard opened the door quickly and gently guided Kyoko's head into the car. The flashes instantly became dimmer, the tinted windows doing their jobs. The yelling became nothing more than a dull background noise. The car pulled away from the curb.

* * *

**AN**: Ah, and so the plot thickens and I start to veer away from the manga (but not too far away)! I have introduced Kyoko talking to herself and her demons (finally!). Don't forget to review, please! It is what made me update again so quickly!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Always Be My Baby**

by Kris Black

**Summary:** After going over lines for _TDM_, Kyoko and Ren have a night of passion and the result could not only cause a scandal, but ruin both of their careers. How will the two lovers withstand the trials of their love?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any part of _Skip Beat!_ the manga or the anime. I do not own any characters listed in this story except those you don't recognize. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money is being made off of the story as a whole, or in part.

* * *

"Kyoko-chan, are you alright?" Yashiro called out, meeting her in the underground parking lot at LME reserved for employees only.

"I'm fine."

He nodded gently and followed her as she marched into the building.

"Ren, the President and Director Ogata are waiting for us on the fourth floor," Yashiro said to her as they entered the elevator.

Kyoko pushed the number four in quickly and waited as the elevator rose silently. Yashiro stood a distance away, fearing the evil aura floating off of her in tidal waves. Yashiro couldn't have been anymore relieved when the elevator dinged, signalling that it was time to get off. Kyoko walked out first, followed by Yashiro.

"It's the third door down to the left," he explained and then followed her closely.

"Really Ren," President Takarada's voice rang clear through the vacant corridor. "Earlier when I said that you had a clean slate and that there had been no tabloids about your love life, I certainly wasn't suggesting this."

"President," Director Ogata began, but was interrupted by Yashiro clearing his throat, a warning that Kyoko was near.

"Kyoko-chan, I am so relieved that you made it," the director sighed and ran over to her. "The paparazzi didn't give you too much trouble did they?"

Kyoko shook her head gently before looking over to Ren. He sat in a chair across the table from where the president and the director had been sitting, looking the epitome of casual, like he was sitting on the couch in his living room.

"Ren-kun, what exactly is going on?" She asked.

He motioned for her to come closer, which she did subconsciously and he passed her several magazines.

"You may want to sit down," he warned and she plopped herself down in the seat beside him.

She pulled the magazines apart and read the headlines, which was all she really needed to get the just of what exactly was going on. She pulled opened the top magazine and flipped through to where the magazine said the article was located. The demons came out in full force again.

_Katsuki and Mio Dating?_

_Ren Tsuruga, the actor who is currently staring in the popular series _Dark Moon_ and the actress known as Kyoko, who is currently playing alongside him as the villain Mio, are suspected to be in a relationship. The pictures shown on the left are of Kyoko entering Ren's building complex late one night last month and then exiting, alone after the actor had left, early the next morning._

_A source states that the two have been close since Kyoko started in the acting business, the pictures on the right show the two in an intimate embrace just outside the LME Studio..._

Kyoko slammed the magazine shut, having read more than enough. She breathed angrily through her nose, just the thought of having someone following them and taking pictures was enough to boil her blood.

"Why now?" She demanded. "They must have had these photos for a month or two, why are they publishing them now?"

"Because _Dark Moon_ has just broke the record for popularity and people are beginning to take interest in the actors involved," Ren explained.

"This wouldn't be such a big issue if you weren't a newcomer, and underage, you understand that, right Kyoko?" The president asked.

"I'm seventeen," she replied. "You can get married when you are sixteen, but you aren't allowed to visit a colleague at seventeen?"

"Is that all you were doing?"

Kyoko blushed and looked down at her hands, Ren snapped.

"I don't see how that is relevant. Whether what those magazines wrote is true or not, it is going to turn our lives upside down."

"I think that it is very important to know whether you two are together or not," the president argued. "How can we defend you either way if we don't know what really happened?"

"Well, maybe we haven't figured that out yet," Ren replied, trying to end the conversation.

"Well, it has been almost two months now since this photo was taken, I suggest that you both figure it out - and soon. Until then, we have to do some ground control."

"And how do you suggest we do that?" Ren demanded.

"President Ogata agrees that it is nearly time to do some on-location filming. Kyoko and the cast are being sent there in three days, it is a remote location so hopefully everything will die down by the time you get back. Ren, you'll be sent in about two weeks."

"That's a long time," Kyoko argued. "Doesn't he have scenes to film too?"

"I have other work obligations before that, for a modeling company," Ren explained. "I have to finish that before I can come."

"But the paparazzi-"

"I can deal with them," he stated.

Kyoko nodded and looked down at her hands. For some reason, she felt like they were sending her away to get her out of the way so she wouldn't mess anything else up.

'No,' she thought. 'Ren would never do that.'

* * *

"I can't believe that I am being sent away. What if those paparazzi attack him while he is driving?"

The president had called the meeting to an end, but kept Ren and Yashiro there to work out his schedule.

'More like they kicked us out,' Kyoko thought darkly

"You love Tsuruga-san, don't you?" Director Ogata noted as he poked at his salad.

Kyoko slammed her chop sticks down into her salad bowl, sticking them straight up. The demons encircled her, powering her up. She wouldn't even think the word that the director had just haphazardly thrown at her.

"If at all possible, could you please say 'respect'?" She asked in a menacing tone.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, he forgot how strained that situation was right now. "Oh, right. Kyoko-can, it seems you won't be able to meet Tsuruga-san for the rest of the day."

"Eh? Really?"

"Yeah. He must be just leaving for his modelling shoot, then he won't be coming in until four, but you're leaving at three, right?"

"I guess we'll just miss each other..."

"And you're going on location in three more days, and Tsuruga-san won't be able to make it onto location for a while afterwards. You'll be apart from him for a while, won't you?"

"Yes..." Kyoko replied, smiling sadly.

Then her eyebrows furrowed.

"Excuse me; I have to run to the bathroom."

* * *

The trip home wasn't nearly as intense as the ride there. The paparazzi were still there, the flashes still blinding in the darkness, but she knew what to expect. They were lined up outside of the daruma again, and she still did not cover her head when she entered. She had nothing to be ashamed of.

Her cell phone rang almost immediately after she closed the door to her bedroom.

"Kyoko, I have great news! Japonet Scoop wants you on their show tomorrow!" The manager of the talent department yelled excitedly into her ear. "This is great news!"

"Are you sure it isn't just because of those articles that were printed?"

"It doesn't matter; it is great publicity for you!"

'More publicity is the last thing I need right now,' she thought dangerously.

"Everyone wants to know about the girl who plays Mio, and then when they found out you were the angel in Fuwa Sho's PV, they just _had_ to have you!"

"The president said to keep a low profile, are you sure that this is okay?"

"Of course I am, it'll just be a few questions and answers, and it won't hurt any Kyoko-chan."

"If you insist..."

"I do," he laughed. "See you bright and early tomorrow morning!"

Kyoko looked at her cell phone like a foreign object as it beeped, indicating that the manager had hung up. She didn't have time to get angry over it though, it may have only been eight at night, but she was dead tired and couldn't think of any reason why. Instead of thinking about it, she pulled down her sheets and got into bed, falling asleep almost instantly.

* * *

The next morning, Kyoko's cell phone rang once more as she tried to button up a pair of jeans that had fit her perfectly last month.

"Hello?" She grunted into the phone as she pulled tight at the pants.

"Kyoko?"

"Ren-kun?" She asked back, abandoning the button on her pants for a moment. "Is there something wrong?"

"What? No... I-I was just calling to see how you were doing. I didn't wake you did I?"

"No, I've been awake for a while now."

"I thought you didn't have any work today."

"I didn't. The manager of the Talent Section at LME called me to tell me that Japonet Scoop wants to interview me today, so I am getting ready for that."

"Kyoko, didn't we just tell you yesterday that you should stay down low for a while?" Ren asked angrily.

"But I am still a newcomer, I can't say no to any work offered to me," Kyoko argued. "Don't worry, I'll be careful."

"It's not you that I am worried about being careful, Kyoko. Do you really think that this is about your acting career and not your relationship with me?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kyoko asked darkly. Did he not think her acting good enough to be worth any praise?

"Kyoko, it –"

"You know what? I have to finish getting ready for work; apparently none of my pants fit me anymore."

"Kyoko?"

"I'll talk to you as soon as I can. Bye." She hung up the phone, demons swirling around it.

She tried to button up her pants one more time before ripping them off and throwing a sundress over her head, followed by a shirt around her shoulders to keep her warm.

'At least something fits,' she growled stormed out of the room, the conversation with Ren still a bitter aftertaste in her mouth.

* * *

Kyoko walked through the near-empty halls at the studio for _Japonet Scoop_, mulling over her conversation with Ren. Why had she been so moody with him? He was only tying to look out for her, as usual. But then again, he was treating her like a child who couldn't look after herself.

'Maybe I should call and apologize,' Kyoko thought sullenly. 'I won't be able to see him and apologize properly for a while...'

Her musings were cut off by a voice so ingrained into her demons that she probably could have picked it up from miles away.

'Why is _he_ here?' She thought dangerously as she walked in an angry storm past the door that she heard his voice coming from.

'Come to think of it, "Prisoner" should have just been released – of course _he_ would be here, the song undoubtedly went to number one,' she groaned.

Kyoko prayed to whoever would listen that _he_ would be on one of those music channels, and not _Japonet Scoop_. She hurried to the dressing room designated to her and opened it with all her might, slamming it behind her. No one could ruin her already sour mood more than Fuwa Sho.

A knock on her dressing room door interrupted her thoughts. She walked over quickly and pulled it open. The man standing in front of her was definitely not a crew member, and was dressed in something that _he_ would wear.

"Yes?"

The guy smirked and walked away without a word. Kyoko watched his back, thoroughly confused.

"Excuse me," Kyoko asked a crew member walking by. "Do you know who that man was who just knocked on my door?"

The man looked at her like she was crazy.

"You mean you haven't heard of him?"

"Should I have?"

"He is in a major band right now called 'Vie Ghoul'."

"Beagle?" Kyoko asked dumbly.

"No, 'Vie Ghoul' it means ghoulish life. Fuwa Sho would have taken first in the charts with his new song if it wasn't for them. They sound pretty similar and they used their company's power to sell more singles."

Kyoko scrunched up her brow again. No wonder his outfit reminded her of _him_, they were in the same industry. She quickly thanked the crew member and walked back into her dressing room, flicking on the TV. As she suspected, it was tuned to the _Japonet Scoop_ station and _Vie Ghoul _was currently in an interview, which she also recognized completely. She has seen this exact interview too many times to count; she had recorded and watched it over and over again.

'Pathetic,' Kyoko thought darkly, storming out of her dressing room and down the hall.

* * *

"Shooo-taro!" Kyoko growled as she slammed open the door to his dressing room, remembering where she had passed it earlier.

He looked up at her, genuinely surprised. She glared back angrily.

"Long time no see. I want to talk with you."

Sho, still shocked, motioned for her to continue.

"I just met a band called 'Vie Ghoul' I was surprised by all the similarities to you and your debut."

"Did you come here just to tell me something so trivial?" He asked, putting his feet up onto the vanity he sat in front of.

"Oh trivial? So you don't care that those new comers took first place over you - even though they are so clearly copying you?" Kyoko ranted.

"Where is your pride as a musician? Why don't you do something instead of standing back and letting them walk all over you? What, do you think it would be _un-cool_ to let anyone see any sort of upset emotion from you? You coward."

"What did you say?" Sho looked at her darkly.

"I called you a coward. They are stealing your fan base; surely you aren't so stupid not to see that! But all you are doing is running away from their provocation!"

"I am not running away!"

"Yes you are! How else could you say that they are 'trivial'?! It obviously shows that you are making music with feeble feelings! The audience doesn't care as long as looks, techniques, and sounds are the same! You have to prove to them that the original is better or else that copy-cat group really will take your place!"

"Shut up!" Sho yelled and smacked Kyoko across the face.

She looked stunned for a moment, before pulling her hand up to her face gently where a small cut was bleeding. Sho had never hit her before.

"Ah... I am sorry - Are you okay? I-I guess not. The wound let me -"

Kyoko looked up at him and glared evilly.

"You- How dare you? And to an actresses face of all things?" Demons swam around her in an evil fury. "You are hitting the wrong target!"

* * *

"Hey, Ren, I borrowed this from Yoshiko-san, wanna see it?" Yashiro asked, walking up to Ren and waving a disc in front of his face.

"What is it?"

"Kyoko - or rather Fuwa Sho's - PV!"

"I'm not interested, I'll pass."

"Even though it is a must-see, even though there is a precious image of Kyoko on it?"

"You watched it?"

"Yup," he nodded. "Kyoko-chan was really cute; not so much cute as beautiful; no so much beautiful as inhumanly gorgeous; not so much an angel but a goddess!"

"Even if you say all that, it's not going to make me watch it."

"You're odd. A normal person would be dying to see it," Yashiro teased before turning serious. "But I think it is strange, even though I have only known Kyoko-chan for a short while, her transformation really surprised me. I wonder what Fuwa Sho was thinking looking at her."

"What do you mean?"

"They were childhood friends, right? Maybe he was thinking 'was she really that cute' and began to take a liking to her?"

Ren shook his head.

'It's too late for that,' he thought. 'He broke her and it is too late for her to even think of him. But... the only man who can seem to shake her is him.'

* * *

'He is so lucky that crew member called me to the stage,' Kyoko mused darkly, touching the band aid she had quickly stuck on the cut _his_ ring had made on her face.

"Mogami-san?" The interviewer asked gently, breaking her out of her reverie.

"Oh sorry!" She replied quickly and brought all of the demons back.

"It's alright. So, how do you like filming _Dark Moon_?"

"It's really amazing! All of the cast and crew are great and Director Ogata is really talented!"

"How do you feel about playing the villain?"

"I don't really think of her as a villain," Kyoko explained. "I think of her as a wounded princess who has been cursed to a life she never wanted for herself."

"That is a rather unique way of looking at Mio," the interviewer smiled. "The other cast members must be intimidating though – after all Tsuruga Ren has so much more experience."

"I try my best and give it everything I have, so I try not to get intimidated. The other actors are all really nice and often give me pointers."

"Do you have any roles lined up for the future? I must say, I am quite impressed with your talent, you were on the popular soda CM and recently played an angel in Fuwa Sho's 'Prisoner' PV, correct?"

"Yes, but right now I am focusing all my energies on _Dark Moon_ so that I can play a Mio that everyone can enjoy."

"That's very encouraging to hear," the interviewer continued. "So, in contrast, who did you enjoy working with more, Fuwa Sho or Tsuruga Ren – we hear that they are both very diligent to their work."

Kyoko thought back to what had just happened with Sho and how lazy always was – diligent her ass. The answer was simple; she would rather work with Ren any day, even during his Dark Prince days, than ever work with _him_ again. She opened her mouth to respond, but seeing the eager look on the interviewer's face she stopped.

Her eyes widened slightly, Ren had been right as usual. They were just digging around for information about Ren and her without asking outright.

'I'll be lucky if the answer that I give doesn't strike me down as I sit here,' Kyoko said to herself before responding.

"They are both very hard working professionals and I have a deep respect for Tsuruga-san as an actor and Fuwa-san as a musician. They are both incredibly talented and I would work with either of them if given the chance."

Meanwhile, Kyoko's demons began to swarm around her and her plastered-on smile began to darken.

"Well-um, well said," the interviewer stuttered, sensing the change in Kyoko's attitude. "Be-because Fuwa Sho is here right now!"

_He_ walked out from behind the curtain. Kyoko scooted over as far as she could, her expression darkening steadily as _he_ approached and sat down next to her.

_His_ interview was pretty standard, and then the interviewer informed them both that they had a surprise for them.

"We managed to obtain a copy of the scene where your devil-character dies in you PV that had been cut!" The interviewer exclaimed and ordered to roll the tape before either Kyoko or Sho could croak out a reply.

The scene, Kyoko knew before it even aired, was when _he_ had stared at her the unblinking while his character fell to his death at her hands.

"Very interesting," the interviewer said as the clip ended. "I wonder if you were acting, Fuwa Sho, or if this was the remnants of some relationship?"

"What is the meaning of this?" Kyoko asked.

"Where did you get that tape from?" She added darkly.

"Well, are you going to answer the question?" The interviewer egged on. "I thought that it was strange that such a new actress would have known both the top actor and top singer in Japan."

"You know what? This interview is over," Sho stated calmly, standing up and grabbing Kyoko's hand, dragging her off of the stage.

Kyoko pulled her hand from Sho's immediately after they got out of sight.

"Don't touch me," she glared at him.

"Kyoko, I-"

"Oh god," she interrupted him and ran over to the nearest trash can, spilling the contents of her stomach again.

"Are you alright?" He asked when she had finished.

"Do I look alright?" She asked afterwards, glaring evilly. "I am going home."

She walked away from _him_ as quickly as she could, wiping her mouth on her sleeve. She pulled out her cell phone and called LME asking for a company car, she knew the paparazzi would be waiting outside.

* * *

The next morning after Kyoko had finished her morning routine of eating breakfast, being sick, washing up and getting dressed, she was surprised to have the daruma owner call up to her.

"Kyoko, you have a visitor!"

Kyoko walked down the stairs. Maybe it was just another person from the company sent to fetch her for work? She stopped dead, stunned when she saw Tsuruga Ren sitting at the bar, talking to the owner.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" Kyoko asked.

"I came to pick you up for work," Ren replied easily. "I have a bit of extra time this morning before any photo shoots, and I heard that you had a rough time at the interview I told you not to go to yesterday."

"I-I'm sorry. You were right..." Kyoko murmured with her head down. "And now you came all this way."

The owner exited the room quietly, sensing that the two people needed some privacy.

"It's alright; I wanted to visit the set today anyway."

"The paparazzi are going to have a field day with this, you know," Kyoko told him. "You really didn't have to."

"Maybe I just missed you," Ren offered.

Kyoko looked at her feet. He stood up and walked over, putting his hand around her shoulders and threw a blanket over head.

"At least I can make you cover your head for once," he joked and led her out the door and through the crowd of flashing and yelling paparazzi.

The car drive was silent, but not in an uncomfortable way. Kyoko stared blankly out the window, head resting gently on the seat. Ren kept his eyes on the road, looking over every few seconds to check on her.

"How did that happen?" Ren asked suddenly.

"Huh?"

"That band-aid on your cheek."

'I can't possibly tell him the truth,' Kyoko thought darkly, imagining Ren yelling at her for barging in on Sho in the first place.

"Um, an unfortunate accident," Kyoko replied. "I'm sorry; I know it was at an inappropriate time and that Mio's scar make-up will mostly hide it, but to get a scar on my face while shooting a drama-"

"You don't need to apologize, Kyoko," Ren laughed. "Just be thankful that it wasn't more serious."

Kyoko sighed in relief. Even mentioning the name "Sho" would have completely ruined the mood, especially in Ren's presence.

'Let sleeping dogs lie, I guess...' Kyoko thought. 'After meeting Ren-kun after several days, I don't want to make things gloomy.'

When they finally entered the studio, there was a large gathering of people around.

"What's with the gathering?" Ren asked the nearest person.

"Ren? I thought that you had work to do at the office," the director asked panicked as he ran over to the two.

"Kyoko-san, you - you have a visitor," he stammered.

Kyoko and Ren both looked over to where the director had just come from. They both froze, eyes growing wide. _He_ walked through the crowd, shouldering Yashiro out of the way. He walked straight up to Ren and Kyoko, staring at her the whole way.

* * *

**AN**: That's it again. Join me next time when Ren and Sho confront each other and Kyoko and the cast are sent away! Please review to keep it coming at my reasonable pace!!


	4. Chapter 4

**Always Be My Baby**

by Kris Black

**Summary:** After going over lines for _TDM_, Kyoko and Ren have a night of passion and the result could not only cause a scandal, but ruin both of their careers. How will the two lovers withstand the trials of their love?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any part of _Skip Beat!_ the manga or the anime. I do not own any characters listed in this story except those you don't recognize. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money is being made off of the story as a whole, or in part.

**AN:** Again, thank you to everyone who has reviewed. I read them all and I try to take your advice. Next chapter, the story begins to pull from Canon and we can get some more balls rolling and set more things into motion! Again, thank you for all the support, it really means a lot to me!

* * *

The sound of hurried whispering echoed around the group. Kyoko was sure she knew exactly what they were saying – they had all probably watched the _Japonet Scoop_ that aired last night. Everyone in the world probably thought there was some strange love-triangle between her, Ren, and _Sho_.

"Are you feeling better?" Sho asked, looking at Kyoko and choosing to ignore Ren.

"E-Eh?"

"I remember that you threw up last night into a garbage can," Sho humoured her. "I wanted to make sure that you weren't still sick to your stomach."

Kyoko looked over at Ren, hoping that the Prince of Darkness wasn't ready to come out. He looked calm, too calm. Her warning against the Prince had not come out, so Kyoko wasn't sure what was going on inside Ren's brain.

"Yashiro-san, I am heading to my dressing room to make sure everything is in order for the change in location in a few days," Ren said calmly. "Stay here, and I see you in a bit, okay?"

Yashiro watched as Ren walked away, avoiding the confrontation that he was sure would have happened. How could Ren be so cool about this? Didn't it bother him that Fuwa Sho had come completely out of his way to see Kyoko?

Ren clenched his fists and glanced back once he was out of sight. Of all the things that could have happened, why Fuwa Sho? Why right now? Didn't he know that he wasn't wanted anymore? Couldn't he just leave her alone and let her get on with the life he destroyed? Ren clenched his fists tighter and walked towards his dressing room.

Sho gently grabbed onto Kyoko's wrist and pulled her away from the gawking crowd, causing them to whisper even more loudly than before. She followed him all the way down to the end of a long, empty hallway over to the right of the set. She immediately pulled her wrist from his hand, just like the night previous and began to stare him down.

'He must be here for a reason; after all he didn't even care about bothering me at work. It's probably because I injured his stupid pride last night.'

Just looking at _him_ made her blood boil while her demons quickly sorted themselves into groups for an all-out assault on the man that fathered them.

Sho reached into his jacket pocket, making Kyoko go on the defensive. Was he pulling out a weapon?

"Here, take this," he said, offering her a tube from his jacket. "It's a quick healing ointment that reduces scars. I heard it is amazing."

'He is actually giving me something?' Kyoko asked herself horrified.

Fuwa Sho had always been all about himself. Everything of Kyoko's had belonged to him, he had always thought. He had always given her at least one gift on her birthday, and sometimes Christmas, but he had never given her anything because he felt like it. No, this was a completely foreign concept to Kyoko and was really freaking her out.

"I don't want any suspicious medicine from you," she glared.

"Just use it!"

"I don't need it!"

"_I_ went through the trouble of buying this for you myself, just take it!"

"Do you think this will atone for what happened yesterday?" She demanded, still half-yelling.

Sho went quiet for a moment and tossed the ointment at Kyoko, who caught it out of instinct.

"Everything you said yesterday was absolutely true," he sighed. "I knew _Vie Ghoul_ was out to crush me, but I underestimated them. I didn't think that they could simply beat me by copying me, and I was wrong. For the first time, I felt fear; there are plenty of people just like me who can replace me in this business. But it wasn't my style to say anything..."

Kyoko looked at Sho, who was shaking, and was reminded of how they used to be – before they ran off to Tokyo together, before she knew what he was doing to her. He used to tell her things about himself like this late at night when they would curl up on the couch and watch movies, or when they took long walks at night together. This was the Sho that she remembered, the determined and kind Sho; the Sho only she knew.

Her demons suddenly flared up again, reminding her that this wasn't the same Sho. This Sho had destroyed her in a single moment, had ruined her life and forced her to start new. This Sho, no matter how similar to the old one, was the enemy and couldn't be trusted for even a moment.

"I refuse to let that bunch of plagiarists take the existence of 'Fuwa Sho'!" He finished with resolve.

Kyoko looked at him blankly, trying her utmost not to be moved by his sudden speech. He looked up at her, flushed from his declaration and blushed.

"Then, you showed up and revealed everything that I was trying to keep down – which is just like you, you could always see right through me. It felt like you were just pouring salt into my wound and it angered me."

He paused again and took a deep breath. He reached up and put his hand near the cut he had caused on her cheek. She tried to will herself to flinch, to step back away from his evil touch, but she could only stare up at him blankly.

"I never meant to hurt you."

Had either of them been paying attention, they would have noticed the tall, dark figure who had just emerged from around the corner, who had been bent on bringing Kyoko back and saving her from the man who had broken her. If they had been aware, they would have heard him turn around and walk back the way he had come.

"No matter the reason, I know that I shouldn't raise my hand against any woman, especially you."

He pulled his hand down and looked away from her.

Kyoko didn't know what to do. Who was this in front of her? Was this really the man that had broken her all of those months ago? Why was he suddenly being so nice to her? The man in front of her, he wasn't Fuwa Sho, he was –

"Shotaro," she whispered.

* * *

"R-ren?" Yashiro asked, watching Ren do exactly as he said he would be, packing some of his stuff for the move to the location.

"Yashiro-san."

"Are you alone?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"I just thought that you would have gone and retrieved Kyoko-chan from Fuwa Sho."

"Kyoko hasn't come back yet?" Ren asked calmly.

"_You have got to be kidding me_!" Yashiro burst. "You are a failure as a lover! It's because you are being so vague that those two could be making peace at this _very_ moment!"

"That's impossible. Kyoko would never do that. Calm down,"

The sounds of heels running down the hallway echoed through to the end, snapping up Yashiro's attention. Kyoko jogged lightly over to them.

"I am sorry for causing trouble," she panted lightly.

"What... did Fuwa Sho want?" He asked.

Kyoko paused for a few moments, looking at him. Should she really tell him what just happened? She glanced over at Ren and decided that it was probably best not to, after all the Dark Prince could still make an appearance – ever since she had met _him_ again, she had been walking on shells, hoping that Ren wouldn't get angry. When _he_ was waiting here for her this morning, she was sure Ren would go into Dark Prince Mode, and she knew she still wasn't out of the water yet. _He_ always ruined Ren's mood.

"There wasn't anything significant," she replied after the delay and then hurried over to the director to apologize for the interruption _he_ had caused.

"Oh God, something happened!" Yashiro squeaked. "That was code for 'don't ask me about it'!"

"You're super paranoid," Ren said, picking up a script and looking through it. "It would be normal for her not to want to say anything about him."

"Ren how can you be so indifferent to this?"

Ren ignored Yashiro and continued looking through the script in his hands, the lines blurring in front of his eyes in fury as his fingers ached to break something. He set the booklet down and walked over to Kyoko and the director.

"Do you mind if I borrow Kyoko for a minute? I just want to tell her a couple things before I have to go to the photo shoot."

The director nodded his head in agreement, and Ren motioned for Kyoko to follow him. She followed obediently, hands folded nervously in front of her. He stopped at a nearby room and walked in. He sat down in front of the keyboard he used to practice and began the piece that Katsuki has to play. Kyoko shut the door behind her silently and pulled a chair up next to him.

"You're still throwing up?" He asked, continuing his menstruations on the keyboard.

She nodded silently, knowing that he could see her in his peripheral.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't think it was important," she lied. "I didn't want to worry you needlessly when all of this stuff with the paparazzi and everything was going on."

She knew by now that vomiting the way she had been was not normal, she wasn't stupid. She didn't know what else could be causing it, so she didn't want to worry anyone over it.

A silence enveloped them as she listened to Ren play Katsuki's musical part perfectly. That is, until his finger slipped and he missed a key.

"Ren-kun, are you angry with me?"

"I'm not angry, why do you ask?" He stopped playing and turned to look at her.

He didn't seem angry, Kyoko noted. Everything about him screamed calm, but she just couldn't get pass the feeling that something was bothering him – after all he was the best actor in Japan, if he wanted to act calm he could certainly do so; besides, her Demon Prince Warning wasn't going off. It was just creepy that he seemed to be angry and yet didn't at the same time. Kyoko was sure that Ren would be the one the most upset about _his_ appearance.

She stopped completely. Ren might look calm, but he was definitely angry. If Ren found out the _he _caused the scratch on her face then she would certainly fall victim to the Demon Prince as harbinger of death.

Ren reached over and put his hand on Kyoko's cheek – exactly where Sho's had been not so long ago. He looked up at the band aid on her cheek and something seemed to click in his head and he dropped his hand immediately.

"He did that to you, didn't he?"

"Wh-what?"

"He hit you last night didn't he?"

"Who?" She stammered.

How had Ren figured it out? Was it _his_ sudden appearance at the studio today that had alerted him?

"I think that you know who I am referring to, and I know well enough that his name is forbidden."

"R-ren-kun, I..."

"So, _he_ doesn't need an honorific, but I am stuck with one despite everything?"

"Ren," she whispered and closed her eyes.

"He should never have hit you. I would never," Ren stated.

He stood up and began to walk away.

"Wait, Ren!" Kyoko stood up and walked up to him quickly, grabbing onto his arm and stopping him.

He turned around, not quite the Demon Prince, but very close – the close Kyoko had ever seen him without going fully into Demon Prince Mode. She looked up to him, about to ask what he was going to do, when he swooped down and captured her lips with his. Her eyes shut instantly as she relaxed into the kiss and he brought his arms around her in a protective embrace. He pulled away too soon for Kyoko, letting her go gently and walking towards the door again.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"I think that _he_ is probably still in the building and I have a bone to pick with him before I go to my next job."

"Ren, please don't!" Kyoko begged and began to run to him again.

However, this time Kyoko didn't reach her target. She suddenly got super hot and her world started to spin around her in a blur and she couldn't seem to grasp onto anything to keep her up, to grasp onto reality. She saw Ren turn around right before her world faded to black.

* * *

"Kyoko? Kyoko!"

Kyoko blinked her eyes a few times, disoriented.

"Ren?" She asked, confused.

For some reason, she was lying on the floor with Ren staring over top of her, his face full of anxiety – all traces of the Demon Prince had vanished.

"Are you alright? How are you feeling?"

"I- How did I get on the floor?" She asked, pulling her hand up to her aching head.

"You fainted, Kyoko. You're lucky that I noticed before you fell and caught you or else you might have been injured."

"Fainted?" She began to feel sick and motioned for him to help her up quickly, which he did.

She ran to the nearest trash can and heaved what little remnants of her breakfast remained in her stomach. Ren walked over to her and patted her back gently.

"I think that you should see a doctor," he said when she had finished. "This isn't normal."

"I'm sure it's nothing serious," she argued, although she wasn't sure herself at this point.

"It doesn't matter. Promise me that you'll see a doctor Kyoko, I'm worried about you. I don't want you to be vomiting and fainting everywhere on location where I can't look after you. If not for yourself or for me, think about the trouble it will cause for the cast and crew if you don't get this straightened out."

"I don't have time after work today and tomorrow we go on set. I'll get looked at one of the doctors there."

"Promise me," Ren warned.

"I _promise_."

* * *

The next morning, Kyoko began her daily routine once more. Wake up, eat breakfast, relieve her breakfast, wash up and get dressed. She then proceeded to pack all the necessities for her on location trip.

'Clothes, toothbrush and toothpaste, face wash, make-up of course, and my alarm clock,' she checked the items off in her head and made to zip up her duffel bag before something caught her sight on her bed.

'Oh right, Corn!' She yelled at herself and crawled over to her bed and picked the small stone up.

The last time she had used Corn, it was when she had given it to Ren to cheer him up. She remembered he gently kissed the stone before giving it back. Normally, she would have thought of it as a curse; that Ren had given Corn the kiss of death. But now, she smiled and gently brought the stone up to her own lips.

A knock on her door brought Kyoko out of her reverie and she quickly put Corn back into her pocket. The Okami-san, the owner's wife opened the door quietly.

"Are you packed to leave already?"

Kyoko nodded in assurance as she patted her backpack.

"Alright, I just wanted to make sure before the company car came and got you. Do you know where you are headed yet?"

"Director Ogata told me yesterday before we left set that we are going to Karuizawa."

"Karuizawa? That's a super high class resort area! You must be looking forward to it."

"Of course," Kyoko smiled at the older woman. "It's more like a vacation than anything."

"By the way, Kyoko-chan..."

"Yes, Okami-san?"

"You're not harbouring any feelings of love for the staff or your co-stars are you?" She asked nervously.

Kyoko looked at her for a few seconds, wondering what had brought up this strange line of questioning. The owners knew what was being written in the tabloids wasn't necessarily true, why bring up such a sensitive subject at such a time?

"O-of course not Okami-san!" Kyoko laughed. "Harbouring love? I am a girl who lives for work; I'm not stupid enough to harbour something like that."

"It's just that, every morning – "

"Kyoko-chan, the car's here!" The owner called up, interrupting his wife.

"Sorry Okami-san, I have to go," Kyoko rushed, grabbing her duffel off of the floor.

"Just be careful, okay?"

"Of course," Kyoko shot her a brilliant smile and went dashing down the stairs.

Kyoko sat in the car, watching the buildings fly by. Why had Okami-san brought up love, of all things? Love was not something that was going to happen, not to Kyoko anyway.

She laid her head gently against the window when her bag began to vibrate. She opened it quickly and pulled out her phone. She took a quick look at the ID, which was blocked meaning it could be only one person. She smiled and opened it up.

"Hello?"

"Hello." She knew it.

"I, I'm sorry for calling you so early in the morning, I didn't wake you did I?"

"No, not at all. I'm in the car on the way to the location now. Is there something wrong?" Kyoko asked.

Ren didn't usually stutter this much on the phone and was usually straight to the point.

"Well, I-um, I was kind of worried about you Kyoko. Did you pack everything you needed?"

"Yes, I believe so."

"Well, I was just checking considering that it is your first time on location. You shouldn't cut loose or anything, you're still at work. Be careful of press, you know how popular you have gotten recently."

Is he treating me like a child? Kyoko thought darkly. Checking to make sure that I packed everything and behave well? Normally, she would have told him to stop mocking her, but then she remembered what had passed between them just two months ago and smiled. He was probably just worried about her well being, and she blushed.

"Kyoko?"

"I'm here, and don't worry I'll be careful."

"And don't forget your promise."

"I'll see a doctor as soon as I am able to."

"I'll join you there as soon as I can."

"Do your best at your photo shoot," Kyoko cheered him on.

"Thank you. I'll see you in a few days."

"I'll see you then," Kyoko smiled and hung up her phone.

Kyoko put her phone back in her bag, smiling happily. Ren always seemed to be able to cheer her up.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ren listened to the sound of his phone signalling it was disconnected as he stared at the TV in his darkened apartment. He watched mutely as a goddess-angel killed her best friend's lover, his eyes slanting to a glare while he watched the devil fall to his death after the angel choked the life out of him.

* * *

**AN**: So that was it, I hope you liked it. Again, in the next chapter we are pulling away from the canon a little more than I have been – look forward to it! Kyoko begins to figure out what is wrong with her; meanwhile Sho and _Vie Ghoul_ are interested in her. While Ren is away, the boys will play. Please review to keep my pace up!


	5. Chapter 5

**Always Be My Baby**

by Kris Black

**Summary:** After going over lines for _TDM_, Kyoko and Ren have a night of passion and the result could not only cause a scandal, but ruin both of their careers. How will the two lovers withstand the trials of their love?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any part of _Skip Beat!_ the manga or the anime. I do not own any characters listed in this story except those you don't recognize. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money is being made off of the story as a whole, or in part.

**AN**: Okay, started to deviate from the manga this time. Still stuck to the plotline as much as necessary though. I think that this chapter and the next are the ones that everyone has been waiting for, Kyoko finally clues in to something! I hope you enjoy! I love you all who have continued to rad, review and encourage or correct me! Thank you!

* * *

"Ren you have to buck up," Yashiro argued as Ren waited for the next shoot. "What will happen if some guy tries to pick Kyoko up while she is on location?"

"I'm not worried about that sort of thing," Ren replied coolly.

'Besides,' he thought. 'I just gave her a warning this morning.'

"But other than that, it is Karuizawa, a place for celebs. If _he_ showed up, if such a big coincidence were to happen, those two would have to have some sort of strong connection between them."

Kyoko has arrived at the location a few minutes ago, looking around as she relished in the vast greenery that she had missed from her home town, she was interrupted by a stick breaking behind her. She whirled around quickly to come face to face with the last person she expected to see.

"Shotaro," she growled.

Sho's eyes grew wide as she walked over to him and grabbed him by his collar, dragging him behind her. She stormed all the way to the recording studio she knew that the resort had.

She couldn't believe that of all the places Sho had decided to record he had chosen the _one_ place where she was stuck for the next few weeks. Her demons swarmed around her from the thought of the injustice. Why would someone continue to torture her like this?

"I forcibly brought back a lazy bum!" Kyoko exclaimed to Sho's manager and threw him at her.

"Ky-Kyoko-chan, why are you here?" The manager asked stunned.

"I'm here to shoot on location for _Dark Moon_ starting tomorrow," Kyoko growled. "I was just out for a walk when this idiot showed up."

"Sho what were you doing? You suddenly left in the middle of recording."

"Just walking."

"Actually, he's lying," Kyoko responded coolly. "He went back to the hotel to drink, then he took a bath while drinking, and then he probably lazed in front of the TV."

"How did you know?!" He screamed at her, she shrugged.

"I just can't believe that you actually walked off in the middle of a recording just because it wasn't going your way!"

"I just needed a change of pace!"

"You could have done that here! This just shows that you are not serious about your work, no wonder that those Beagles can walk all over you!"

Sho burst out laughing at her name for his rival band. His manager quickly thanked Kyoko for cheering him back up and dragged him into the recording studio as fast as she could. Kyoko looked shocked after them, before shaking her head in disbelief.

'The last thing I had intended to do was cheer him up.'

A set of instruments displayed on the left caught her eye and she walked over to examine them. It wasn't like Sho just to skip out on work like that, even she knew that. Something must have happened to upset him...

Something caught her eye through the window that she was currently looking through and she instantly knew why Sho had been so upset. The lead singer of Beagles was lounging on a chair in the other room. Kyoko's demons came out.

'This is a place for top performers, not one-hit wonder copy cats!' She growled as her demons crackled with electricity. 'How can they even-'

Kyoko paused. Of course the answer was clear. They deliberately came here to psych Sho out; to sabotage him. They did something to get to him already, that's why he skipped out on work. The lead singer, she thought his name was something like Reino, looked over to her and she dropped out of view instantly. Her heart started beating heavily, scared that she had been spotted. Her cell phone started vibrating in her pocket and she hurried as fast as she could out of the recording studio.

"Hello?" She answered finally, a bit out of breath.

"Kyoko? Are you alright?" Ren's voice asked her clearly.

"I'm fine Ren," she calmed and smiled into her phone. "Is something wrong? Shouldn't you be shooting?"

"I'm on break. I was just checking to see if you have visited the doctor yet. You don't start filming until tomorrow do you?"

"You know what; I'll head over there right now."

"Alright, good luck."

"Thanks."

Kyoko hung up her phone nervously. She was not looking forward to seeking medical advice, what if she had some sort of chronic disease? What if she was _dying_? All the things that had slowly built up over the month she had been sick surfaced. She wasn't ready to face any of it yet. She breathed in deeply before beginning her trek to the hotel.

It wasn't hard to find the clinic located in the hotel, signs had clearly marked the hallways, pointing her in the correct direction. She opened the door marked "Clinic" and stepped through into the waiting room. The receptionist looked up quietly and smiled at her. Kyoko walked up to her nervously, wringing her hands that were folded in front of her.

"Can I see a doctor?"

"Sure dear, I'll just get you to sit down and fill out this form and we'll call you in when the doctor is ready."

Kyoko nodded and sat down in a near chair, waiting to be called in. She filled the form out and passed it back before she sat back down. She didn't have to wait long (she assumed it was because of the high class hotel) before she was called in and a doctor was talking to her.

"What seems to be the problem, Mogami-san?" The doctor asked as she sat down in front of Kyoko.

"I've been feeling bad for the past couple of weeks. I throw up almost everyday and I get really tired all the time," Kyoko stuttered. Doctors always made her nervous.

"Alright then Mogami-san, I am going to ask you a few personal questions, just bare with me, alright?"

Kyoko nodded silently, still wringing her hands in her hands in her lap.

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

"Not... really."

"Not really?" The doctor asked. "Is there a possibility that you are pregnant?"

Kyoko's eyes grew wide as she nodded her head slowly. Why hadn't she thought of that? Of all the things that could have happened, this was the furthest thing from her mind. She never would have thought anything like this could possibly happen. Had Ren used protection? She couldn't seem to remember either way.

"When was the last time you had your period?"

"Well, I've always been irregular," Kyoko managed to choke out. "Sometimes I could go months without one and I usually don't think anything of it."

"How long are you going to be staying at here at the hotel?"

"About two weeks."

"Well, Mogami-san, I am going to take a blood sample from you and send it for tests to make sure. Why don't you leave me your cell phone number and I will call you when the test results come in, just to make sure?"

Kyoko nodded once again and wrote down her number on a piece of paper for the doctor. She had her blood drawn and thanked the doctor before making her way to exit.

"Be sure to be extra careful and to eat right for the next few days until we are sure," the doctor warned.

Kyoko nodded again, having lost all sense of words as she left the office and walked back to her room. She flopped off her shoes in the entryway and lay down on her bed, staring up at the white ceiling.

Pregnant

What if she really _was_ pregnant? What was she going to do? How would this affect her life, her career? She couldn't possibly burden the daruma by staying there with a child. But most importantly, how was she going to tell _Ren_? Kyoko laid on hand on her stomach and the other on her forehead. She really had no idea what she was going to do, but she was sure that if she was pregnant, she would stay that way.

* * *

Later on that night, Kyoko decided that a bath in the hot springs would be a good idea. She had thought herself sick, literally, and needed the soothing minerals and heat of a hot spring to help soothe her and her aching shoulders from worrying. When she arrived, she was delighted to see that the spring was almost completely empty.

She slipped into the warm water and sighed, her shoulders relaxing almost instantly. She brought her hand up to her stomach and had a brief moment of wondering if the baby she could be carrying would look more like her or Ren. She quickly wiped the thought from her mind; it was way too early to be worrying about that when there were so many other thinks to worry about.

When she finished, she carefully tied the complimentary yukata around herself and slipped on some slippers, prepared to just go back and get a good nights sleep. However, when she opened the door from the bath she stopped dead.

"It's the fake angel," one of the members of Beagle said.

Kyoko's had to tell herself to start breathing again. Both Sho and Beagle was standing in front of her in an obvious confrontation pose. She stood shocked as the lead singer made his way toward her.

"It seems we meet again," he said casually.

"I don't recall meeting you today," she answered coldly.

"Ah, but we saw each other at the studio for a moment, didn't we?" He took a step closer and pulled his hair up to touch her hair. "Aren't you beautiful in a yukata with wet hair?"

He slid his hand down her face as she stared at him, slightly entranced.

"It's erotic, isn't it?" He quipped.

Sho walked over quickly and grabbed Kyoko's arm, pulling her away from Reino.

"Wake up, you dolt!" He scolded her.

"Don't touch me!" She yelled at both of them.

"I had to reactivate your brain! You were in some sort of trance! Just because someone compliments you doesn't mean-"

"Do you think that I am an idiot?" She yelled back.

"I guess they are going out after all," one of the members of _Vie Ghoul_ remarked.

"We are not going out!" They both yelled at the offender simultaneously.

"We are nothing more than childhood friends." Kyoko explained, still yelling.

"Well, it doesn't really matter if she is Sho's or not," Reino smirked. "I still plan to steal her."

Kyoko stared at him in shock, while Sho shook with fury. Kyoko suddenly came to her senses. This was in no way her fight. She turned around quickly and walked back to her hotel room with haste, leaving Sho to fight his own battles. If she really was pregnant, this was definitely not something she should get involved in.

She walked into her room with haste and shut the door gently behind her. She was shaking all over. Reino's touch had been icy and sent terrifying chills down her body. She was terrified at what he would do if he really, truly planned to steal her. She shook her head to clear herself of her thoughts. The room was dark, but she could clearly see the blinking red light of her cell phone – she had missed a call. She quickly switched on her light and picked up the phone. She had missed three calls from an unknown number, which meant that it could only be Ren. She sat on the bed and stared at her phone for a few minutes.

She thought back to what Reino said about her, and it hadn't sounded like a joke. If Shotaro hadn't been there with her tonight, would he have succeeded in stealing her right then and there? What kind of mother would she become if she couldn't even handle one stupid copycat? What would she have done? Terrified, she dialled a familiar number. It rang for only a few seconds before it connected.

"Hello? Kyoko? It's you, right Kyoko? You're there right?" Ren's voice rang in her ear, growing steadily more worried at her lack of response. "What happened?"

"Ren..."

"Yes?"

Kyoko held her phone against her ear as tears began to run down her cheeks. Why was this all happening to her? Wasn't a pregnancy scare enough for now, at least until she found out for certain? Why was she suddenly getting pulled into Shotaro's messes along with him? Why couldn't she just tell Ren the truth?

"Kyoko, has something happened?" Ren asked, terrified.

His voice knocked Kyoko out of her stupor. Why was she bothering him with all this when he has so much work to do? Couldn't she just handle something by herself for a change? Her hands tightened on the sheets. He was too far away to do anything at the present time, even if he had wanted to. All she was going to do was worry him unnecessarily when she wasn't even sure if she was pregnant. She wasn't even sure if Reino would try anything.

"Kyoko? Talk to me."

"Oh, sorry. Don't worry; I just called to report that I didn't screw anything up for anyone today. The doctor just took some blood to run some tests and I won't know anything for a few days. That's why you called earlier, right?"

"No, I was just worried about you."

"I knew it Ren, you are a huge worrier. Don't worry, I'll make it out fine until you get here," she managed to struggle out through her tears.

"Are you sure that nothing happened today, Kyoko?"

"No, nothing special at all."

"Then that's good," he answered her, knowing that she was lying. "I miss you, and I'll see you as soon as I can."

"I miss you too," she sobbed before saying goodbye.

That night it took Kyoko the longest it has ever taken her to fall asleep, despite being exhausted.

* * *

**AN:** I know it was short, but I had to cut it off there, it just felt right. Please don't expect a chapter everyday like there has been, just because I don't like to pressure myself into a schedule to release. I am releasing this fast because people seem to genuinely love this story as much as I enjoy writing it. Up next: Kyoko's test results come back, Reino makes his move, and Sho and Ren meet again! Please review!!!


	6. Chapter 6

**Always Be My Baby**

by Kris Black

**Summary:** After going over lines for _TDM_, Kyoko and Ren have a night of passion and the result could not only cause a scandal, but ruin both of their careers. How will the two lovers withstand the trials of their love?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any part of _Skip Beat!_ the manga or the anime. I do not own any characters listed in this story except those you don't recognize. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money is being made off of the story as a whole, or in part.

**AN**: So, a little later this time, but I did warn you! I wanted to get this chapter to turn out exactly like I wanted. Originally it was supposed to be different, but I like the way it turned out this time better. Again, I have to work some midnight shifts at work this week (_who_ does "Midnight Madness" for _Easter_? It's just insane, I mean we work our asses off for every other holiday, give us a break! ~I'm a cashier lol). Anyway, more of a rambling note than informative – enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Kyoko hadn't expected the doctor to get back to her so fast. The next morning when she woke up there was a voicemail left on her cell phone asking her to come in for the results of her blood work. Kyoko glanced over her filming schedule – she had some free time for a couple hours before she had to be on set, she could go and see the doctor now and still manage to be early for the shooting.

Kyoko dressed in a hurry and walked down to the clinic. Again, there wasn't a line up (especially with it being so early in the morning), and she got in almost instantly, much to her disappointment. She was sure whatever the results were that she was in no way ready to hear them.

"Mogami-san, it is good to see you again," the doctor smiled as she looked down through the results of her blood work.

"What's wrong with me doctor? Am I really pregnant?"

"Yes, you are Mogami-san," the doctor stated while Kyoko looked down and covered her face with her hands. "If you want, I can refer you to an amazing OBGYN in Tokyo, she'll take good care of you."

Kyoko nodded, face still hidden.

"And you have to remember that you still aren't that far along – there are always options…"

"No," Kyoko said. "I could never do that."

"Very well, it is just something to consider," the doctor patted her knee gently. "Take good care of yourself, alright? I'm going to give the OBGYN your cell number so that she can set up an appointment, okay?"

Kyoko nodded again.

"And I am going to prescribe you some pre-natal vitamins that I want you to take everyday."

Kyoko thanked the doctor in a dazed state and accepted the prescription. The doctor wished her well again before she left. Kyoko made it halfway down the hallway before she collapsed against one of the walls.

_How was she going to tell Ren?_ Should she tell Ren? Of course she should, that was just a stupid idea… Did Ren even want children? At least she had more than a week to come to terms with this and try to figure it out before Ren was set to appear. She covered a hand over her stomach, _pregnant_.

* * *

"What? Ren is not taking any breaks?" The crew gossiped.

"Remember when he had that serious-looking phone call last night? Well, some people think that it was the actress 'Kyoko'."

"Really, you shouldn't listen to everything the tabloids say…"

"Yes well, apparently he seemed disturbed that something is going on," one of the crew continued. "And who else but his actress love-interest could make _the_ Tsuruga Ren work with no breaks and condense his whole schedule so that he could go to the set of _Dark Moon_ tonight?"

* * *

Kyoko had managed to pick herself up and make it to the set on time. They only managed to film a couple of scenes before the director called a lunch break.

"Are you coming, Kyoko-chan?" He asked on the way out.

"I don't feel all that hungry," Kyoko said truthfully.

She felt the need to vomit, not the need to eat. The director nodded and left with some colleagues as Kyoko sat down to review the script more.

"Kyoko-chan, you have a visitor," one of the remaining crew members informed her.

'If it is Shouter again…' Kyoko thought darkly as she made her way to the front to greet her visitor.

"It's him!" The crew member pointed out. "Wow, Kyoko-chan, I knew that you were close to Fuwa Sho and Tsuruga Ren, but I had no idea that you were close to _Vie Ghoul_ as well!"

'Crap he is an Esper!' Kyoko screamed in her head the moment she saw Reino and ducked down instantly. 'How did he discover the location of the shoot?!"

"Kyoko-chan?" The crewman asked.

"Tell him that I'm not here! Tell him that I'll never be here again!" She whispered hurriedly to him.

"Why?"

Her demons came out at full force to protect their guardian. Her voice dropped low.

"Because he is the scariest stalker in the world!"

The crewman instantly left to tell Reino that Kyoko was no longer on set. Kyoko watched horrified as the crewman tried to explain and Reino just walked passed him into the studio.

"Sir you aren't allowed in here!" The crewman exclaimed while Reino ignored him.

'I have to get out of here, that guy is crazy,' Kyoko thought to herself, still ducked down out of view.

She looked around frantically, there had to be some sort of exit that she could get to without being seen. Just beside her there were long-winding stairs going down to the basement… maybe she could escape from there! She took a deep breath and fled down the first flight, waiting on the landing out of view. Maybe Reino would just give up.

The crew member was still telling Reino that he wasn't permitted in the area, and his voice was getting closer. Sooner than she thought, she heard Reino's heavy steps on the staircase just above her. Terrified, she fled the stairs altogether and ran into the basement where they kept some of the props.

'You have got to be kidding me! How did he know?' She screamed in her head, causing her to take a misstep and injure her ankle.

'I've worked through worse,' she remembered the last time she had filmed with Ren with an injured ankle.

She ignored it this time just as well as last time while she looked around for any type of exit. All she saw was props piled on top of one another, furniture… a window! She kicked off her slippers hastily, knowing that they would only prevent her from climbing as fast as she could and ran towards the window.

* * *

"Director!" Sho yelled as he ran into the lunchroom, completely out of breath. "Where is Kyoko?"

"We haven't seen her since lunch started," the director replied, just a little stunned. "But on the way out, someone heard that she had a visitor…"

"Director!" The crew man who had been helping Kyoko shouted as he ran into the room. "I think Kyoko may be in trouble!"

"What happened?" Sho asked quickly.

"A member of _Vie Ghoul_ came to visit her, and she seemed scared. One thing led to another and she fled out the basement window!" He exclaimed, waving Kyoko's slippers about. "Then that guy jumped out the window after her!"

Sho ran out of the room as fast as his legs could possibly carry him.

* * *

Kyoko's ankle was throbbing painfully as she ran through the forest. She tripped over a stuck up root and fell against a tree, panting for breath. Was this going to be it? What would that stalker do when he caught up to her? She placed her hand on her abdomen, what was she going to do now? A twig snapping made her snap her head up.

"And here I was hoping that you would run until you were in tatters."

"Why do you have to target me?!"

"Don't you remember? I already told you," Reino asked, smug. "I'll take everything of Fuwa Sho's."

"I'm not his!" She yelled at him.

"That doesn't seem to be the way he sees it though," Reino taunted.

"What he thinks has absolutely nothing to do with this!"

Reino grabbed her arm and pulled her up to him roughly, shocking Kyoko enough to scream. He placed on hand on her stomach, pulling her back against his front. She flinched away from the hand, knowing that she didn't want him to touch her, let alone touch where Ren's child was.

"What an unexpected development," he whispered into her ear.

Kyoko stopped moving immediately, frozen in fear. He couldn't know, could he?

"Kyoko!" She thought she had heard Shotaro yell, but that couldn't be. He couldn't possibly know that she was out here, trapped in shock by her stalker. But how could she have imagined it? The last person on Earth that she would hope to be saved by would be _him_.

"Just thinking about the look on Fuwa's face when he sees you like this," Reino laughed evilly in her ear and began to unzip the back of her Mio-dress.

Kyoko gulped loudly. She couldn't possibly do anything, what if Reino told Sho about the pregnancy? What if Reino threatened the baby if she did anything? She closed her eyes shut tightly. Reino continued pulling the zipper on its downward path, revealing the strap of her bra and a good deal of her back.

Reino moved her head to expose her neck to his face. He slipped his hand slightly under the front of her dress, resting right above her right breast.

"All I want is to see a look of utter defeat written on his calm face," Reino said, lowering his lips further down toward her neck.

Kyoko breathed heavily. This was not happening, this couldn't be happening. Why was she just standing here while he was practically molesting her? No one could save her but herself; she had more than one person to protect. Kyoko breathed deep one more time, determined. She was sure that she could do this.

She grabbed Reino's arm tightly then, taking full use of his shock, twirled out of his less-than-tight grasp to glare at him with full force. The demons swirled around her at such a furious speed that they looked more like dark light than actual beings, her glare turning deadly.

Reino took a step toward her, and she took a step back; he advanced again, this time quicker. Kyoko tried to step back, like before, but her strained ankle gave out and she tripped. Reino caught her and pulled her face towards him. Kyoko's eyes grew once more, glistening with tears as Reino inched his face closer to her.

A crack over on her right caused her to jump, more so when Reino let one of his arms go of her to catch an impact.

"The hero always shows up just at the right time," Reino commented.

Kyoko looked beside her to see Sho, furious, glaring daggers at Reino while breathing rather heavily.

"But why is it that the hero's face looks more villainous than my own?"

"I'm going to beat you half to death," Sho growled. "I'll ruin your face for show business."

"I won't stop you," Reino replied. "But I can see the headlines now: Kyoko assaulted in broad daylight by member of _Vie Ghoul_. Her image will be stained, as the public would perceive you to be. Her future will be destroyed; just like it will be when the tabloids begin to question who the fathered her child – Fuwa Sho, Tsuruga Ren or me."

"Her…her… Kyoko?" Sho asked stunned.

Kyoko, who had already been shaking from nervousness, started to sway back and forth.

"Kyoko?" Sho asked, worried now.

He was already by her side when her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she fainted into his arms.

* * *

When Kyoko woke up, Director Ogata was sitting beside her bed.

"Kyoko-chan?"

"Director? What happened?"

"Fuwa Sho went after you once he found out about Reino chasing you," he explained. "Apparently you fainted when he found you. He brought you back here and then said he had to do something. He promised he would check up on you later."

'Like I would want something like that,' Kyoko growled to herself.

"Are you alright, Kyoko-chan?" The director asked, reaching out for her hand.

"I-I'm fine," she stuttered out.

"Well, I have some news that might make you feel better. Yashiro-san is here-"

"EH? Shouldn't he be with Ren-kun?"

"Well, that's just the thing. Apparently Ren has condensed his schedule and he arrived today."

"What?" She asked shocked.

She had thought that she would have had more time to prepare what she was going to say the next time she saw him, what she would do!

"Yashiro-san is waiting downstairs for you to go and meet him if you want."

"I suppose Yashiro-san has updated him on what happened."

"I assume so."

Kyoko sighed and moved to get up. She thanked the director for looking after her and hurried out the door and down the stairs where she met Yashiro. He ensured that she was fine and then showed her to Ren's room.

Kyoko had been nervously ringing her hands since she met up with Yashiro. Nothing she could think of would calm her nerves. Sure, she and Ren were close, but neither of them had really discussed what had happened between them – every time they even tried someone had always managed to disrupt them. All she knew was that she had promised herself to never love again, and yet she had ended up sleeping with Ren. Now, even though she may or may not have feelings for him, she was pregnant and had no idea what he was going to say about it.

She didn't have much time to think about it any further when the door opened. She couldn't help smiling at Ren while he smiled down at her.

"I'm glad that you're okay," he said, letting her into the room.

Kyoko walked in nervously at sat down on one of the chairs, still wringing her hands. Ren passed her a bottle of water, which she accepted.

"I guess today was pretty hard for you, Kyoko."

Kyoko looked down at her feet, nodding.

"You lied to me again," he stated simply.

Kyoko's head shot up. She started trembling slightly in fear of the possible eruption of the Dark Prince.

"Over the phone the other night. You already knew about the stalker then, didn't you?"

"I'm sorry!" Kyoko exclaimed, falling to the floor in an attempt to gravel – hopefully appeasing the Dark Prince.

"You don't have to grovel, Kyoko," Ren scolded, touching the top of her head. "I understand. You just didn't want to worry me, right?"

"Yes," she muttered.

Ren gripped the seam of his pants, trying to hold back his frustration.

"But, you aren't hiding anything else from me, are you?"

Kyoko visibly stiffened, which caught Ren's eye. His frustration began leaking out slowly and Kyoko looked away, fearing the Prince that would surely erupt from him.

'Should I tell him that the stalker was actually one of those Beagles? Should I tell Ren about _him_? Should I tell him about the _baby_?' Kyoko thought hurriedly. What exactly would she tell Ren about _any_ of it?

"Kyoko," Ren said darkly. "What are you hiding?"

A loud knocking interrupted the conversation, giving Kyoko a chance to breathe and think while Ren went to answer the door.

'I shouldn't hide any of it – he'll surely find out later anyway. I guess it is all better coming from me, in my own words, than for me to have to give some lame explanation later,' Kyoko decided.

She looked up to see Ren pulling the knob, curious to see who needed Ren so urgently. Maybe it was Yashiro-san with some sort of emergency… However, when the door opened Kyoko wasn`t the only one who was shocked about who was on the other side.

"Hey," Sho greeted Ren, smirking at him. "Kyoko is here, isn't she? Would you get her for me?"

Ren stood shocked at the door for a few moments. Yashiro had said something about this – if Fuwa somehow showed up at the same location as Kyoko, that it demonstrated some sort of lasting bond between the two. However, Ren was cut off from his thoughts the moment another, more preppy, face appeared before him.

"Ah, excuse me Tsuruga-san," Momose added.

"Mimosa-san?" Ren asked.

Kyoko repeated her name out loud also. What was Momose doing with Shotaro?

"I-I was looking for Kyoko-chan," Mimosa explained. "I was worried about her and I thought that she might be with Fuwa Sho, so I visited his place and he said she wasn't there. But what happened today is top secret, right? So, I asked the director and he told me that she was with you – I was really surprised actually. So, I just thought that I would come and check on her. I'm sorry!"

"You don't have to apologise," Sho retorted, looking at Ren. "After hushing up all of this man-related stalker stuff to save face for Kyoko, he actually had the gall to call her up to his room. He's the one undoing everyone's efforts."

Kyoko made her way to the door in an attempt to defend Ren, when he began to reply coolly.

"Of course you are right. I was thoughtless and this could have created a mass media scene if anyone documented it and sent it to the tabloids following us."

'He's smiling, he is definitely smiling!' Kyoko repeated in her head fearfully.

She could tell without looking that the Dark Prince had come out fully, she could feel the chills down her spine. She was scared to turn around, terrified to hear him speak again, but she had to stop him before someone got killed.

"Re-Ren?" She tried.

"Forgive me?" He smiled his horrible, radiant, sparkling, terrifying smile at Momose who instantly blushed and forgave him.

Meanwhile, Kyoko was shaking in fear for everyone.

"Kyoko," Ren said, still in his terribly sweet, sickening voice.

"Ye-yeah?!" She yelled in surprise.

"Could you _please_ explain to me why Fuwa-kun, someone who has nothing to do with _Dark Moon_, could possibly know about the situation?"

"Th-that…" Kyoko began.

She had wanted to tell Ren everything in private, where she could explain things fully and properly where her biggest secret wouldn't be exposed; Sho found out about her being pregnant before he did. Why did he have to ask her a question like that now?

"Kyoko," Ren reminded icily.

'The longer I put this off, the worst it is going to become…' She opened her mouth to rely, but _he_ beat her to the punch.

"Why are you asking all this now? You heard about the whole situation from your manager, didn't you?"

Ren just stood there, silent.

"Or," Sho continued to taunt. "Could it be that you don't know everything, yet everyone else on _Dark Moon_ does? But, that's impossible, right? After all, you are playing a lead role in both the show and Kyoko's life right? For example, who do you think protected her from that stalker?"

Ren's eyes widened and Sho smiled triumphantly at him while Kyoko couldn't do much but watch as the shit hit the fan.

"Wait, wasn't Kyoko-chan…" Momose started.

"Oh, that's right," Sho continued. "Kyoko was found unconscious on the forest floor – or at least that's the story everyone who wasn't involved was told."

Ren glanced down angrily at Kyoko, remaining quiet, and then looked back up at Sho.

"Th-that's not it! I was going to explain everything to you properly just now, and back in the room, but all those times…"

She stopped, looking up at him with tears in her eyes, her hands shaking quite noticeably. Ren glared at her a bit more – she had become afraid of him. The only girl he could ever remember caring about was standing in his presence, shaking because he was terrifying her. He looked down and clenched his fist tightly.

"Sorry, but only for a bit, could everyone _leave me alone_."

Kyoko looked up at him, eyes still tearing up while everyone else turned and walked away. Ren turned to walk back into his room, silently shutting the door behind him. Kyoko collapsed to the floor on the other side of his door, holding back her tears as much as possible.

"I'm pregnant," she whispered almost silently in a false effort to tell Ren what she had truly wanted to say.

* * *

**AN:** Well, I hope you liked it. I love Reino  . Anyways, don't forget to review, if you hadn't before I would have put off writing this chapter _forever_! So, now you know that reviews are like gas for my writing engine lol.

Heads up for the next chapter: Ren softens up, find out what happened to Reino, and there may be a confession of a secret! Stay tuned!


	7. Chapter 7

**Always Be My Baby**

by Kris Black

**Summary:** After going over lines for _TDM_, Kyoko and Ren have a night of passion and the result could not only cause a scandal, but ruin both of their careers. How will the two lovers withstand the trials of their love?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any part of _Skip Beat!_ the manga or the anime. I do not own any characters listed in this story except those you don't recognize. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money is being made off of the story as a whole, or in part.

**AN**: And this is the chapter that you have all been waiting for, well semi – you know me and cliff-hangers. I will warn you beforehand that it is a little short, but I never intended this particular chapter to be long or drawn out to keep the essence, allure, and suspense about it. Next chapter you can expect probably Monday, but no promises yet. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, you are all amazing!

* * *

Breakfast the next day made Kyoko incredibly nervous. She knew that it was less than a fifty percent chance that Ren would even eat breakfast, but the thought of him still being angry made her jittery.

"Hey, Good Morning; Looks like another nice day," Ren called out in a chipper voice to the cast and crew.

'Oh no,' Kyoko thought anxiously. 'Of all the days for him to eat breakfast.'

When she heard him approaching, she instantly jumped out of her seat to greet him.

"Good morning!" She exclaimed, bowing quickly and hoping to god that he still wasn't angry from last night.

"But you know, I was offended last night," Ren said in a terrifyingly sweet way – one that would make dogs run for the hills with their tails between their legs.

"After being treated like everyone else on the set."

So, this wasn't the first time god ignored her prayers. Ren was still furious.

"Here I was, giving you advice when you had trouble with your Mio role," he continued on in a sarcastic tone. "I stuck up for you, and I even called you concerned before you left to go on location. Despite being closer than anyone to you, I am still treated like a stranger. Whether you are heartless or have no sense of obligation, either way it is terrible."

"I- I am sorry," Kyoko managed to sputter out.

How was she supposed to defend herself against that? She knew that she could no longer hold the capacity to love anyone, but did that make her heartless?

"And what else?" Ren added. "You were protected by Fuwa, who you are supposed to be exacting revenge on. Scandalous isn't it? To tell the truth, I am terribly disappointed in you this time. From now on, please avoid speaking to me outside of work."

Kyoko stared at him shocked as Ren looked away from her. Was it really the situation really this bad? She had meant to tell him about Sho, he just beat her to the punch. She knew that he would be angry, but she had no idea that he would be _this_ angry. What would he do when he found out about her not telling him about the baby if he was this angry over this? She shuddered slightly.

"W-wait, are you breaking up with me?" Kyoko sputtered out.

"We would have had to be together for that to happen," he replied icily.

Kyoko reached out to Ren, to try and make him reconsider. However, his image gradually faded away to nothing as she reached up for the ceiling.

"A dream?" Kyoko asked herself. "Thank God."

Kyoko laid her head down on her knees as she began to sob again. Would Ren really never talk to her again? She needed to calm herself down and she knew of only one place where she could do that. She quickly dressed herself and headed towards the woods.

* * *

Ren had always loved nature; it always had a way of clearing his mind and sorting his thoughts. He stepped on a twig and a bunch of birds flew away from their nests.

"I must have startled them," he noted.

He instantly thought of Kyoko. She always became like a terrified little bird when he was angry and he was scared that someday he would push her too far, that she would never want to stay near him again. As soon as Yashiro had called about Kyoko's stalker he had known why she had called him and he had known why she hadn't told him. It touched him that she had called him when she was in danger unconsciously, but it still made him angry that she hadn't just told him the truth.

* * *

Kyoko knelt beside the stream in the forest. She figured that there had to have been one close, she had heard it during one of her walks and was fairly sure that the waterfall in the hotel courtyard used the water from it. She could almost see the fairies swarming around her, creating a sense of harmony and light. This place reminded her of home, reminded her or Corn; it calmed her.

Figuring that if there was a stream there was probably a river nearby, Kyoko lifted herself up to follow it to the river, thinking of Corn as she walked the narrow, almost invisible pathway.

'Even though it looks like Corns home, there is no way that he would actually be here,' she told herself. 'That would be impossible.'

She lifted the branch at the end of the trail, hearing the rushing water of the nearby river. The sun had finally risen, she noted before looking up and stopping dead in her tracks.

'Corn?!' She thought instantly.

There was a man standing beside the river, the light illuminating his body like a true fairy. When he turned his head to see who had joined him, Kyoko was still in shock.

"R-R-Ren?"

"Kyoko?"

They both stared at each other awkwardly as a silence enveloped them. They were both terrified of saying the wrong thing and ruin whatever chances they had. Ren, who had to ensure that he didn't scare her, decided to act completely normal.

"Hey, good morning Kyoko," he topped it off with a sincere smile. "Looks like another nice day."

Kyoko instantly stiffened. Oh god, her dream was coming true! Is this where he was going to tell her to leave him alone and never speak to him again? She began to edge away, back towards the path that had led her there. As long as he kept looking at her she would be okay, she repeated as her mantra. She felt a familiar sensation rising from her stomach.

"Would it be a bother if I came over there?" She whispered.

"What?" He asked, horrified that he may have scared her away forever.

"Would it be a bother if I cam over there?" She repeated loudly, and quickly closed her mouth as the bile rose steadily.

"You're no bother at all," Ren said to her gently, smiling.

Her demons, which had been carefully hidden, began to dry up and die in the light of the smile, but she had no time to pay attention. She hurried over, past Ren and quickly relieved herself in the bushes beside the river so she didn't block their path out.

"Kyoko, are you alright?" Ren asked her carefully as she finished and quickly washed up in the river.

"Yes I am fine," she replied hastily.

"Did you really see the doctor, have you gotten your results back yet?"

"Well, I – " Kyoko began when Ren's cell phone buzzed. He quickly opened it and read the message.

"Breakfast is beginning, we should get back," he replied.

Kyoko nodded and began to walk behind Ren as he led them out of the forest.

"By the way," Ren said. "You shouldn't be walking out here at a time when no one else is around, especially when you have a stalker."

"I don't think that he is the type to get up with the birds," Kyoko stated. "It's better for those visual kinds of people to appear unhealthy – even _he_ does that."

"For visual types… _meaning what_? Wasn't the stalker just a member of the public?"

Kyoko stopped for a second, her eyes showing alarm.

"Could you mean a musician?" Ren asked.

Kyoko quickly explained the situation and who Reino was.

"So basically, I got caught up in a fight between those two idiots. When I had called you nothing definite had even happened yet, I just felt overwhelmed. So, I was hesitant to tell you afterwards because I was scared that you would never want to speak to me out of work again." She ended looking at her feet.

Ren's heart pounded painfully in his chest.

"I would never say that!" He scolded. "Plus, it isn't exactly like you asked Fuwa for help; he just kind of barged in."

"That's right!" She exclaimed.

* * *

Ren walked Kyoko back to the hotel, where she went back up to her room to change into something clean for breakfast. She dragged her feet to her bed and plopped down with a sigh.

'I can't believe that I still haven't told him,' she groaned and rolled onto her back, placing her hand on her stomach.

'The longer I wait, the worse it is going to be."

Kyoko heaved herself back up with a sigh and changed quickly, eager to put something back into her empty stomach.

On her way to the breakfast hall, she noticed a blonde in the crowd of people. She peered over the shoulders of the throng of people and recognized it as Sho. She looked to the door of the breakfast hall, then to Sho's quickly retreating body. Deciding quickly, Kyoko took off after the blonde. She finally caught up to him at the bottom of a set of stairs and grabbed his arm.

"Kyoko?" He asked, surprised.

"I have something to say to you," she stated.

He stopped and leaned up against a wall, waiting for her to speak so she continued.

Ren had decided not to take the elevator, the stairs were better for the body and he needn't be so lazy. He happily walked down the stairs, glad to finally have sorted out at least one thing with Kyoko. He paused when he heard a couple talking and began to turn around to give them their privacy, until he heard a familiar voice which made him stop.

"Yesterday was really messed up and I forgot to say a very critical thing to you…" Kyoko paused and looked like she was in some weird sort of pain.

"Well, what is this 'critical' thing?"

"About yesterday, when you saved me," she started. "I'm not grateful to you, but at least as a person with common sense, it would be reasonable to offer you a single word of thanks."

Sho looked at her as if she were crazy.

"That has to be the worst way of expressing thanks that I have ever heard of!" He yelled at her.

"Well, I didn't ask you to help me and yet you complain when I take the trouble out to thank you?" She yelled back in retort.

"You could have at least said 'thank you', totally un-cute!"

Ren couldn't stand the atmosphere as they argued, as if they were in their own little world that no one else could intrude in. As if it would be impossible for him to break, impossible for him to separate her from _him_.

"I think that I would vomit if you thought of me as cute!"

"It seems that you may have been doing a lot of that recently," Sho smirked, finally getting the upper hand.

"Wh-what do you mean by that?" She sputtered out.

"I mean, the morning sickness must be horrible – with you being pregnant with Tsuruga Ren's baby and all."

Ren's eyes widened to an unimaginable degree as he stood shell-shocked, staring at the couple below him.

"I don't care what happens to Tsuruga, or _Vie Ghoul_," said Sho softly to Kyoko as he reached out to touch her. "All I care about is your safety. To me, you are my – "

Ren acted quickly. He didn't care that these two people had a past, he didn't care if they had some sort of divine fate – he would smash all of that to bits and go up against the gods if he had to. Kyoko was incredibly important to him, more so than he had ever realized, and if what Fuwa had said was true, he would never let her go.

'I manage to bind myself to her repeatedly,' he thought darkly as he jumped the remaining amount of stairs to cut Fuwa off.

"Kyoko! What are you doing here?" Ren asked, drawing their attention to him.

Her brain went into overdrive. What was Ren doing there of all places? How _much_ did he overhear? What was he going to say when she had been here, with Shotaro of her own free will this time?

"Are you ready to leave?" Ren asked. "There is only thirty minutes until the assembly."

"What?" Kyoko shouted. "I haven't even had breakfast yet!"

"Then, shall we go together? I was actually on my way to breakfast. Yashiro-san kicked me out of my room and told me to eat something."

Ren smiled down at Sho.

"Good morning Fuwa, I am sorry about last night."

He made eye contact, receiving a glare from Sho in response to his fake, gentlemanly smile.

"Because of my mistake, I forgot to tell you one critical thing…"

Sho instantly became angry – with that one sentence he knew that Ren had been listening to his and Kyoko's conversation from start to finish. It seemed that Kyoko had realized that too because her face was an instant sheen of shock and terror.

"I've heard the details," Ren continued on. "When I think about what might have happened were you not there, it gives me the shivers."

Ren twirled the unsuspecting Kyoko around and into him, grabbing his arms around her like they were together.

"I am grateful from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for saving them."

Sho glared at them. Ren was trying to declare that Kyoko was his, even in this subtle way. Kyoko stared up at Ren, not missing the plural 'them' instead of 'her' at the end of his sentence. She couldn't measure his anger while he was smile-glaring at Sho, but she was certain that he was less than happy about this whole situation.

"R-Ren?"

"Kyoko, if we don't get going we are going to miss our chance to have breakfast."

"R-right," Kyoko nodded as Ren led her away from Sho and towards the breakfast hall.

Once Sho was out of sight, Ren took a right and instead put himself and Kyoko into an elevator.

"Ren?"

"I'll call the director and order room service," he said tersely. "I think that you and I have a few things to discuss before we go any further today."

"Ren, I swear, I didn't tell him-"

"Save it for when we get to my room," he replied.

Kyoko folded her hands into her lap and rung them in her nervous manner as she watched the numbers on the elevator ride up.

Meanwhile, Ren pulled out his cell phone and proceeded to work their schedules out to free up a couple of hours due to an "important personal matter", which the director had agreed to upon Ren promising to drive them there as soon as the matter was taken care of.

The walk down the hallway and to Ren's room felt something like a funeral march, Kyoko noted. The silence was deafening and her Prince of Darkness radar was constantly on in the fear that he would emerge. Once every few seconds it would beep, but nothing solid enough to scare her yet. As the door to Ren's room shut behind them Kyoko felt kind of dizzy.

"Are you alright?" Ren asked, catching her shoulders and steadying her.

She nodded her head lightly as Ren led her to one of the couches in his suite. Once she had settled and she had ordered room service in the midst of an uncomfortable silence, Ren popped the question.

"So, is it true? Are you pregnant?"

"Yes," Kyoko whispered as she examined the hands folded in her lap.

"How long have you known?"

"I found out for certain yesterday morning."

Ren looked at Kyoko and didn't know what he was feeling. Dread, excitement, eagerness, nervousness, anger, happiness, his whole body was in chaos.

"I think that it may be time for us to figure out where exactly we stand with each other and what we are going to do."

"I suppose so," Kyoko whispered once more, terrified that she would be rejected.

Little did she know, Ren was worried about the exact same thing.

* * *

**AN**: To tell you the truth, I am not really sure what I promised as a preview for this chapter – I kind of got carried away with the writing. As you can tell, the next chapter will have a completely new scene in it, completely away from the canon. It will lead back to the familiar manga though afterwards. A lot is still ahead for this poor love triangle!

Remember to review! It is the equivalent to gas for writers!


	8. Chapter 8

**Always Be My Baby**

by Kris Black

**Summary:** After going over lines for _TDM_, Kyoko and Ren have a night of passion and the result could not only cause a scandal, but ruin both of their careers. How will the two lovers withstand the trials of their love?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any part of _Skip Beat!_ the manga or the anime. I do not own any characters listed in this story except those you don't recognize. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money is being made off of the story as a whole, or in part.

**AN**: It seems as though I have to address a few things before continuing on:

1. Just because I haven't updated in **one week** does not mean I am dead or discontinuing this story. Regrettably, I have a life as it happens. I can't always update within a day or two, although I try. I covered this in previous chapters. I will try to update as regularly as possible for you guys though, but I felt that this chapter deserved a little more thought.

2. The occasional (or always some may think) out of character-ness of both Ren and Kyoko. In the first chapter, it was necessary to get the ball rolling and I do not apologize for that. As "hang" so beautifully replied in the reviews: if there wasn't a little bit of OCC, then we wouldn't have fan fiction because the characters would just do what they usually do and nothing would have happened any different from the manga. I do try my hardest to keep them in character as much as possible though.

3. Kyoko's _age_. In Japan, it is alright for a sixteen year old to be married, pregnant even. In North America it isn't all that uncommon for a sixteen year old to be pregnant, or younger! They didn't mean for this to happen, but it did so now they have to deal with it. If that makes you uncomfortable to read, then you might want to find a different story, sorry.

4. I am starting to deviate from the manga, but I will still be sticking to it. I like that I can twist and manipulate the scenes to fit the new situation and I feel that no matter what, they would still end up in the same places as the manga, which puts them in similar scenes. Of course, new scenes will be added, some scenes deleted and some manipulated to suit my fancy.

5. Some of you have noted that this is a little bit like the situation between Hachi and Takumi in _NANA_. I will admit it is a little similar, but I assume that is because in both situations, someone was in the limelight. This isn't the same, although it may have a similar plot it is purely coincidental. The tabloids, for instance were on Nana and Ren instead of Hachi and Takumi, along with a number of other variations.

6. Kuu should be appearing soon, on a happier note.

7. And just for AppleYumi94's clarification, yes, I am a girl ^_~

**A HUGE thank you goes out to everyone who continually reads and reviews this story. I hope that this AN has cleared up a few things, sorry about it being so long. I love you guys a whole bunch and hope that you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

**

"Have you decided what you want to do yet?" Ren asked, trying to keep calm.

"What I want to do?"

"About the baby," he clarified.

"I-" Kyoko began. "I want to keep it. My mother abandoned me; I don't want to do the same to anyone, whether they are born yet or not."

Kyoko laid a hand on her abdomen gently.

"This baby is my responsibility now and I intend to do whatever it takes to keep it protected and safe," she finished.

Ren was touched to say the least. He didn't think he had ever seen such a gentle look on Kyoko's face. He was already prepared for both answers, whether or not she wanted to keep the baby. He realized that she was still young, only sixteen, and that he was little more mature at twenty – but he wanted this baby that he hadn't known about for more than an hour more than he had wanted anything else in his life.

Wasn't he stable enough to take care of both the mother and the child? Of course he was; he made more than enough money for all of them to live comfortably alone, even if Kyoko wasn't working. Although he was raised in America, sixteen was perfectly acceptable here in Japan, wasn't it? He wasn't just going to leave Kyoko with this all by herself.

"Our responsibility," Ren corrected finally. "This is our baby, our responsibility, Kyoko. I am not going to abandon anyone either."

Kyoko looked up from her hands.

"Ren, I –"

Kyoko was interrupted by an abrupt knock on the door. Ren stood up and answered it quickly, returning with Kyoko's breakfast. Her stomach growled loudly as he sat the plate in front of her.

"You should eat first, your health is important right now," Ren noted and back down in his chair.

Although Kyoko really didn't feel up to eating, her body felt otherwise. She took a bite of her toast first and then began devouring her breakfast. Ren watched silently as she ate, thinking of how he was going to fix the situation for the best possibly outcome. When Kyoko finished eating, Ren began to speak.

"I know that we haven't really found time to discuss our relationship and what happened that night, and I am sorry. I should have _made_ time to do so."

"It's alright Ren, I understand. We have both been really busy with promotions, filming, and the whole paparazzi incident."

"No, that's no excuse. To be truthful, I think that I was running away from the whole situation – I didn't want to face it and was worried about the repercussions it would have on our relationship that had been. Apparently, the repercussions were more than what I expected."

Kyoko sat nervously, admitting that she was running away from the exact same thing. However, the baby forced them to admit that something did happen that couldn't be undone and now it was time to face the music.

Ren's cell phone began to ring and he looked ready to ignore it.

"You should check who that is at least," Kyoko suggested. "It might be from _Dark Moon_."

Ren let out a sigh and pulled out his cell phone. He glanced at the caller ID and shot Kyoko an apologetic look before answering.

"Yashiro-san?"

Ren nodded a few times and answered with brief assurances before hanging up.

"Our scenes are set to be shot in a half an hour," he grumbled. "It's as far as they could delay them. We had better get ready to go."

Kyoko nodded in affirmation and stood up, wiping the crumbs of the toast off of her clothes gently.

"We have big parts, we can't expect them to be able to reschedule us forever," she answered Ren's continual grumbling. "We still have time to figure this entire thing out."

Ren smiled at her briefly before taking her hand in his.

"We can talk tonight again, just the two of us," Ren said.

Kyoko nodded, managing a smile back at him as he led her out of the hotel and to his car.

* * *

"That's a wrap!" Director Ogata called out as Mio descended the stairs, glaring at Katsuki and her sister, pulling Ren out of character.

"I know that it is late everyone, but please take your lunch now," Director Ogata continued.

Ren swayed slightly. He should have gotten some sleep last night, rather than staying up worrying over Fuwa Sho and Kyoko. In fact, now that he knew that she was pregnant with his own child, he cursed his own stupidity for having stayed up all night. He knew that there was no way that he could continue acting today without some sleep. Yawning, he quickly told Yashiro that he was going for a nap.

By the time that Kyoko zoned in after the director called for lunch, Ren had already left the set. She heard Yashiro talking to a bunch of crew members, telling them that Ren had left for a nap.

"Even Ren gets tired sometimes," One of the girls giggled.

"He did look really tired…"

"Come to think of it," one of the girls spoke up. "Last night Kyoko met with Ren-kun alone."

"Unfair!"The group called simultaneously.

Kyoko's eyes grew wide and she began to panic. How in the world did any of the cast or crew find this stuff out?!

"Kyoko was all alone with Ren last night?!"

"I'm so jealous! If it means having to get a stalker to get some alone time with Ren, I want one too!" One of the girls cried out.

Kyoko looked up menacingly. Who the hell would ask for a stalker, especially one as crazy as hers? She turned around slowly, glaring at the girls.

"Oh, is that so?" She asked darkly, instantly turning back into the terrifying Mio.

All of the girls froze instantly under Kyoko's gaze. She raised her hand slowly and began to count.

"One, two, three, four," she counted, pointing at each of the girls in succession. "I'm glad, there are four."

Mio, because Kyoko was now lost in character, stalked towards the first girl and pulled her up to her, her demons binding all of them into place.

"Firstly, that pretty face of yours, let's make it like mine."

The girls cried out in a chorus of apologies.

"We're sorry Mio-sama! We'll never talk about wanting a stalker again!"

Kyoko let them all go and they hurried away, presumably to their lunch.

* * *

Ren lay down on the couch in the bus, his hand over his head as the light shone through the windows. The look that Fuwa Sho had on his face the last time that they had met was not one that he was unfamiliar with – the look of triumph. Someone had always given him the same look before, when he lost to his power because he was so great that Ren could not overcome him.

He knew that it shouldn't bother him any longer, that Kyoko didn't want anything to do with Fuwa Sho. But still, it bothered him. That one look of triumph had been enough to bring back all of the insecurities and trauma he had experienced before he had fled to Japan with the President.

"Dammit, why do I feel as if I lost before I even arrived?" He swore and wiped one of his hands through his hair.

'It feels as if I am being forced to realize that I have no place in this world again,' he thought to himself sadly. 'That my existence is meaningless.'

A frantic flurry of footsteps broke him out of his musings and he glanced over to the door of the bus to see Kyoko panting slightly as she reached the top of the stairs.

"Kyoko-"

"Are you alright?" She practically screamed before she burst into tears.

Ren sat on the seat he had been sprawled across, stunned. Why had she just burst out into tears for no reason? Why was she so frantic?

"Kyoko, what's wrong?" He asked gently, standing up.

"No, sit back down!"

Ren instantly dropped back down onto the seat.

"Yashiro-san told me that you didn't sleep last night!" Kyoko scolded. "You must know how important sleep is. Do you feel alright? Do you have a fever? Are you cold?"

'Traitor,' Ren thought of Yashiro, who had probably worked Kyoko up on purpose.

"I feel fine, just a little tired, really."

Kyoko forced Ren to lie down on his back. She looked over him worried, before asking gently.

"Ren, is there anything that I can do for you?"

Ren looked over at her slightly astonished. She had an amazingly gentle and caring look on her face, which froze him for a few moments.

'It feels as if I am being forced to realize that I have no place in this world again,' he remembered thinking just a short while ago. 'That my existence is meaningless.'

That couldn't be true; not anymore at least. Kyoko was pregnant. Regardless of what happens, he would always have a place and meaning in this world and that would be beside his child, and possibly Kyoko.

"Ren?" Kyoko asked, worried after he hadn't replied for a few moments and had just stared at her.

"There is one thing that I want you to do," he answered her finally.

"Your," Ren began reaching out gently to touch Kyoko.

He froze when he saw her face, stone as rock trying to look completely normal, but her eyes wide and nervous.

"Lap," he chickened out. "Let me use your lap. I think that I'll get better if I have some sleep, but I can't sleep without a pillow."

Kyoko nodded hesitantly and sat on the bench. Ren instantly moved his head into her lap, almost sighing with disappointment in himself. Why didn't he have the courage to ask her what he had wanted? Wouldn't it be best for their whole little broken, soon-to-be family, all three of them?

"Ren, for a pillow, isn't my lap too high?" She asked nervously as Ren closed his eyes.

"No, it's perfect," Ren replied sleepily. "Not only do I get to be close to you, but to our baby too."

Kyoko (who had been freaking out about having his head in her lap up until then) relaxed and smiled down gently at his black hair.

'Even for me I gave her a weird and suspicious answer,' Ren thought glumly. 'If I needed a pillow to sleep, wouldn't I carry a pillow around with me everywhere?'

Ren was glad wished that he hadn't stopped. He would rather feel rejected than have Kyoko think that he didn't care about her or the baby. He would rather have them with him than without him. He would rather have them with him than with _Fuwa Sho_. He couldn't let himself get erased from Kyoko's existence, from his child's existence. He wouldn't allow it.

Kyoko's cool hand ripped him out of his train of thought as she placed it gently on his forehead.

"Thank god," she whispered. "He doesn't have a fever. I'm glad."

She obviously thought that he was asleep, Ren mused. However, he was surprised when her hands moved to his hair, playing with it in a strangely comforting and soothing way.

* * *

It was then that Ren made up his mind. His existence to her had to be above Fuwa Sho's, above anyone else's. He closed his eyes slowly, listening to her breathing, the dull, twisted lump in his own heart becoming unravelled and soft again, if only slightly.

Ren couldn't help watching her sleep; he had done the same before he had to leave for work when they had been together before. Her breaths were faint whispers singing to his ears, and it was the most peaceful he had ever seen her. Whatever had happened to her, whatever was going on now, it didn't affect her dreams.

Kyoko's eyes felt heavy as she opened them slowly, attempting to shield the light from her eyes.

"Hi," she heard Ren's quiet voice greet her.

She opened her eyes more fully now. Ren was directly in her line of vision, glowing like unearthly like a god. Kyoko wondered if she was still dreaming.

"Good morning, that was good timing. I was thinking that I was going to have to wake you up."

Then it hit her. She wasn't dreaming, and she had just woken up, with Ren! She hadn't slept with him _again_, had she, this time without even realizing it? Her body went into panic mode. She looked around quickly to find him sleeping in her lap on a bus, both of them still fully clothed.

"No!" She screamed and jumped up, knocking Ren over. Tears filled her eyes immediately.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" She cried. "It's too cruel to watch me sleep, especially from below!"

"I-I'm sorry," Ren managed to sputter out amidst Kyoko's cries. "You looked so defenceless… no, happy, that I thought it would be a shame to wake you."

"Rather than have someone watch my sleeping face from below, I would rather be woken up!" Kyoko cried. "On top of that, to disregard you while you are ill, how can I even face you?"

"Is that what this is about?" Ren asked, smiling. "You're going to make a wonderful mother, do you know that?"

Kyoko sniffed.

"Really?"

"Of course."

"Thank You," Kyoko smile bravely and wiped her tears. "Sorry, I've been crying a lot lately."

"Pregnant women have a tendency to do that, I hear," Ren offered.

Kyoko laughed, sobs still escaping as she tried to get them in control. Ren laughed slightly with her, shoving his hands into his pockets. His right hand brushed against something, reminding him of what he was originally supposed to be asking Kyoko.

"Kyoko, I-"

She looked up at him, red eyed, cheeks blotched red from crying and he decided that now was probably not the best time.

"I think that we should probably head back now."

She nodded and smiled at him. She quickly walked over to the sink and splashed some water on her face in attempt to clear up the evidence of her crying. Ren exited the bus first, giving Kyoko some time to fix herself up after her nap and crying spell.

When Kyoko began to descend the stairs out of the bus, Ren noted that she had done a fairly good job of hiding all evidence of both sleep and crying. When she stepped the wrong way on her sore ankle on the second step, she let out a cry and Ren immediately caught her from falling, ignoring the sound of something hitting the ground.

"Are you okay?" He asked, slightly out of breath.

She nodded slowly into his chest where he had caught her. He set her down gently and looked her in the face.

"You have to be more careful from now on alright? Anything could happen-"

He was cut off when he glanced down and had seen what had fallen from Kyoko, except, he didn't know where from. A baseball bat, an alarm clock, and a hammer were all lying on the ground by Kyoko's feet.

"I-I'm sorry," she hurried. "They're some weapons and a substitute warning alarm just in case-"

"Where on earth were these?" Ren asked, flabbergasted.

"Um, these clothes have no pockets so I attached them to my leg under my skirt."

"Just in case?" Ren asked looking at her. "You mean, if you happen to meet the stalker again?"

"That's right," she whispered.

"I would protect you though," Ren said to her. "Even without all of these things that you're carrying. Can't you rely on me?"

"That's not it at all, but the opposite," Kyoko argued. "These are just the things that I had from before, when I was worried about what I was going to do. These are here so that if I see him, I can immediately strike him down. I was so worried about what I should do, or what would happen if I met him again; I was really scared.

But, when Director Ogata told me last night that you had arrived and were at the hotel, all of the fear instantly flew away completely. Just knowing that you are here for me helped me relax. Your existence gives me courage and self-confidence, Ren."

Ren was touched, truly and deeply touched to his core. Knowing Kyoko's past and knowing how tightly she had closed her heart off to everyone, Ren knew that this speech was probably the closest thing that anyone would get to a confession from Kyoko for a very long time.

Relationships are built on love, respect, honesty, and mutual understanding. Although Kyoko said she could no longer love, he doubted that fact and was sure that they both had feelings for each other, feelings that could sprout into love, perhaps. They both respected each other deeply. They understood each other. They were going to share a child together. They were honest, well mostly. Ren knew that she should know about his own past – about his father, his mother, America, and the _real_ him. His true name, his true identity, even his real hair colour – after all, she might be shocked if their son or daughter came out with lighter hair, rather than her own originally dark colour.

'Now is probably the best time that I am ever going to find to do this,' Ren reminded himself and fingered the item in his pocket.

"Kyoko, you have no idea how happy I am to hear that I mean so and do so much for you, despite my flaws," Ren began. "I know that you say that your heart is shut off to everybody, and I understand that. But I know that we both deeply respect each other and at the very least care for each other. We are about to share a child together."

Ren paused for a moment and Kyoko looked at him, absolutely terrified and looking like a deer in headlights. He couldn't stop now though, if he did he would probably never get this opportunity again.

"I know that this isn't that romantic, or probably anything you have ever dreamt of, but I feel like it is now or never."

Ren dropped to one knee awkwardly in front of her. She moved to step back, but one glance from Ren froze her in place. He reached for the object in his right pocket and pulled it out, revealing a very pretty diamond ring.

"When did you-"

"I bought it during our first this morning as soon as I had made up my mind," Ren explained. "The jeweller had it delivered right before lunch – the luxury hotel has its own jewellery store."

"Ren-"

"Kyoko," he cut her off. "I want you to be my wife. I want our child to grow up in a home with both of us. I don't want to share you with anyone else. I can make you number one in my whole existence if you can make me number one in yours."

* * *

**AN:** Again, thank you all so much! Stay tuned for the next chapter – but I am not going to be giving any clues to what might be in it this time!

Remember, I love reviews – they keep me happy and writing!


	9. Chapter 9

**Always Be My Baby**

by Kris Black

**Summary:** After going over lines for _TDM_, Kyoko and Ren have a night of passion and the result could not only cause a scandal, but ruin both of their careers. How will the two lovers withstand the trials of their love?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any part of _Skip Beat!_ the manga or the anime. I do not own any characters listed in this story except those you don't recognize. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money is being made off of the story as a whole, or in part.

**AN**: Okay, okay, I know that this was a LONG wait for an update, and I won't make excuses except for two words: Writer's Block. It happens to everyone. Luckily, today when I sat down at the computer words just started spilling out of my head again, woot! Lucky me, I was terrified people were going to start coming after me with pitchforks and torches ^^.

In other news, visit my new website (complete with a blog). I am really proud of it:

krisblack (dot) webs (dot) com

Enjoy the chapter guys!

* * *

"Ren, I- I can't."

"Kyoko-"

"Ren, I don't want you to feel obligated to marry me because I am pregnant, please…"

"I don't want to marry you only because you are pregnant, Kyoko," Ren replied, standing up fully and pulling her face between his hands. "I want to marry you because you are the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. Don't you deserve a little bit of happiness all for yourself? I could give you that, we could be happy."

Kyoko moved back out of Ren's hands and looked at his feet for a few moments before turning back up to look into his face, trying her best to control her emotions.

"Ever since finding out about the pregnancy – even before that with the paparazzi, I have been being pulled around like a doll, and for a while I think that I lost myself. I've been being pulled and pulled, stretched and until now I haven't really realized it. But my limit has been reached if I get stretched any further I won't be able to return."

"Kyoko, I'm not trying to pull you anywhere, you don't have to do anything you want to do."

"I know that," Kyoko sighed. "I know that you mean the best, you always do for me. But if you think for a moment, you'll see that this isn't the best method! You don't have to marry me."

Ren gently closed the ring box and put it back into his pocket. Kyoko never realized his feelings for her, no matter how hard he tried. He was sure that if he had just said that he loved her outright then she would have refused him a lot more harshly than she just did. In fact, even with the baby she might even attempt erase him completely from her life, just because of her fear of love – even though she was the most caring person he had ever met in his life.

"You're right," he managed to force the horrible words from his mouth. "I don't know what I was thinking. Of course there will be a better way."

Kyoko smiled at him as if nothing happened and Ren attempted a small smile back. He swallowed a lump in his throat. He was glad that she was so naïve when it came to things such as this so that she didn't realize that his proposal was absolutely serious. As long as she thought that he was only doing it for her own good, their relationship wouldn't change as it was now and he wouldn't lose her completely. Kyoko wouldn't shut him out of her life.

* * *

The shooting continued and Ren tried to act although nothing happened. He, Kyoko, and Yashiro continued to eat lunch together and sometimes at night they would play mah-jong together in Ren's room. Almost a week passed the same. In the morning everyone would wake up and eat breakfast. They would shoot before and after lunch. The shooting would wrap up before seven usually and Yashiro, Kyoko and Ren would all hang out in Ren's living-room portion of his hotel room until it was time for everyone to return to their own rooms for some much needed sleep.

Kyoko was growing incessantly hungry throughout the whole day, as such she would usually keep a snack on hand on the set and could be seen munching on chips, granola bars, carrots, anything to keep something in her stomach that had been feeling queasy lately. Other than that, she was usually content.

Another day of shooting passed and Yashiro, Ren, Kyoko and Kyoko's bag of cookies all returned to Ren's room for a night of mah-jong. Ren passed Yashiro a beer, himself a soda, and Kyoko a water before they all settled in to be beaten by Kyoko – who was ridiculously good at the game.

"How did you get so good at this?" Yashiro whined for the umpteenth time when Kyoko beat him once again.

"It's a secret," she would wink, as always, frustrating the losing manager more.

"It's almost time to return to Tokyo," Ren changed the subject.

"I can't believe that we are leaving tomorrow!" Kyoko sighed. "I wonder if the paparazzi issue has blown over yet."

The game completely forgotten, Yashiro joined in.

"Unless they got some new scoop on you, which I doubt, I am sure that everything is going to be fine."

"But that doesn't mean you don't have to be careful," Ren lectured.

"I know," Kyoko replied softly.

"Especially considering your delicate condition," Yashiro added.

Ren and Kyoko went into an eerie quiet, like they did every time Yashiro mentioned her pregnancy. Ren had felt it necessary to tell his manager, even though he despised talking about personal issues, considering it could affect any number of things in the future.

"You two have to get over this awkwardness about the baby situation soon, if not that kid is going to end up just like you," he joked.

Ren glowered at Yashiro, a sure sign that he wanted him to shut his mouth promptly. He should have cut his manager off after his third beer. Kyoko stood up quietly and smiled at them.

"I need to get back to my room and pack the rest of my things. I can't believe that I have waited this long to do it."

Ren nodded, understanding Kyoko's need to flee the situation. She bowed slightly before leaving, shutting the door almost silently behind her. When they got back to Tokyo and were less stressed about her stalker, shooting and the whole thing that happened here, he was determined to talk to her about everything. He was still dead set on having her marry him.

"It's not like you to put such important matters off, Ren."

Ren could swear that that man could read his mind sometimes.

"I'm not putting it off; I am waiting for a better time. This situation is rather delicate and if I mess up even the slightest it could ruin everything."

"That's true," Yashiro commented. "Talking to Kyoko about matters of the heart would be like walking through a mind field."

"Thanks for the pep talk."

"That's what I am here for."

* * *

Kyoko knew that when she was upset she would clean fanatically, so it didn't surprise her that upon the return to her hotel room she instantly began cleaning. She had packed her suitcases before, but she had needed an excuse to escape. She knew that she should probably talk to Ren about everything, but she really needed some time to gather her thoughts and figure out exactly where she stood with everything that was going on around her. After organizing the necessities that she had left out alphabetically, Kyoko settled into bed and began to think.

She was sure that that crazy Beagle stalker was going to strike again, she just wasn't sure when or how. When Ren had told her to trust her she hadn't lied – she did trust him with her life. However, she still wanted to tie a bat to her leg to thwack that beagle good if he ever came near her again. She wanted to control her own destiny, not let the men around her contort her to their will, although she was sure that that isn't what _Ren_ had tried to do.

What she had said to Ren a week ago had been true – she did feel as though she was being pulled along without any say. It was her choice to be with Ren, which had resulted in her pregnancy; she understood that. She was taking responsibility for her actions and she was going to take care of this baby. She also knew that Ren wanted to be there for the child, he had told her that much and she respected that. She knew what it was like for a child to grow up without a father, and then without a mother. She wouldn't wish for that fate for any child let alone her own.

Ren was going to be a part of their child's life, she accepted that.

When Ren had proposed to her it shocked and terrified her. There was no way Ren _actually_ wanted to marry her, and thankfully she had turned him down without having bound him to her. Ren was a wonderful man who was only trying to do what was best, but Kyoko wouldn't force him to do something so drastic. She cared about him that much was true. But she refused to allow him to marry her and suffer through a marriage that had no love, because she could no longer fall in love.

Kyoko looked up at the ceiling and sighed heavily. If Shotaro hadn't ruined her heart, would things have turned out differently?

She rolled over onto her side and prayed that sleep would take her soon.

* * *

The next morning when Kyoko woke up she felt surprisingly well and not queasy at all, which was certainly different. Usually she would feel nauseous and immediately head for the bathroom.

'Maybe this means that I am getting further along and I am done with morning sickness,' she thought happily.

She continued on with her morning routine of showering and getting ready before she packed the rest of her things. Deciding that it was best if she left now to say goodbye to Director Ogata, she headed down towards the set. They weren't quite wrapped up with filming completely, but her scenes were done so she got to leave early.

On the way she ran into _his_ manager and put her head down, trying to pretend that she wasn't there so the manager wouldn't see her.

"Ah, Kyoko-chan!"

'Crap,' Kyoko thought, but greeted the manager anyways.

"Thank you for helping Sho this time. I think that the only reason that he has been able to overcome his work this time and succeed is because you were there for him."

'Please don't say that,' Kyoko thought darkly and pictured shooting the bastard with an arrow. Her demons swarmed.

The manager continued, unaware of Kyoko's increasingly dark mood.

"Just watch and see how that boy is going to develop."

"No thanks," Kyoko said in a brisk, polite voice.

The manager merely smiled at Kyoko and took her leave.

"Why should I watch him develop? I'm not his mother," Kyoko grumbled as she went the opposite way towards the set.

When a chill ran up her spine as a warning Kyoko paused. She looked both ways in a frantic attempt to find what she was looking for. Something abominable was coming closer to her; she could feel it in her bones. She began to panic slightly; she knew exactly what was coming closer.

A light breeze blew down her neck and she screamed, jumping away from it.

"Y-You!" She yelled at the stalker when she turned around.

"Hey Kyoko, it's been about ten days," Reino commented, looking her up and down.

She wished she had that bat that she had thought about strapping to her leg last night right about now.

"I knew that you would come again! I never listened to that stupid idiot when he said you wouldn't. What do you want with me? Oh right, you're here to torment me again, aren't you?" Kyoko practically shouted, pointing a finger straight at him.

"No problem. If you want it that much, I can certainly add you to my list…"

"I don't want it! If you aren't here to torment me, then what exactly are you here for?" She demanded.

"Like I was saying…" he began but Kyoko didn't catch a word of it.

Whispering had started up around them. People were staring at them, wondering if they were really who they appeared to be.

"Isn't that Reino from _Vie Ghoul_?" One whispered.

"Doesn't she look like Mio from _Dark Moon_?" Another replied.

"I want to take you to the demon world," Reino's voice cut in.

"Take me to the demon world, huh?" Kyoko asked and her demons were suddenly released, floating around her in an army-like swarm.

She glared at him evilly.

"I'd like to see you try. I have changed since the last time you met me, you damn monster!"

"Are you sure that you want to do this here?" He asked in a drawl. "I'm sure that you have noticed that we have onlookers."

Kyoko glanced back at the crowd and took a deep cleansing breath. She was determined to finish this once and for all.

* * *

Kyoko hadn't been in her room, which wasn't unusual, Ren noted. He tried to keep himself calm as he walked down the hall to Momose's room. Often Kyoko would go there and hang out with the only other girl around her age on location. He softly rapped on the door he knew was hers.

"Hi Momose-san," he greeted with a smile. "Is Kyoko here?"

"Ah, actually, I'm pretty sure that she said something about going to meet Director Ogata before she left," Momose replied. "She is probably in the lounge."

"By herself?"

"That's right, why?"

Of course Momose probably thought the stalker situation was done with. Kyoko hadn't been left by herself since the incident, except to walk herself to her room from Runs, which was in the same hallway.

"Thank you, but I have business with the director too. I had better go," Ren blurted out as he rushed down the hall.

'That girl,' he thought. 'She knows that her stalker is staying in this hotel, yet she still insists on going places by herself. Didn't she say that that guy was an inhuman monster? What is she _thinking_? Does she seriously think that she can fend him off herself?!'

* * *

Kyoko stood her ground as she stood in front of Reino like it was a show down. She had led him here, away from onlookers who undoubtedly had cameras on their phones and who could talk to the press.

"I have changed since before," Kyoko warned again. "I'm going to defeat you this time. I have a secret weapon!"

She pulled out Corn from the pouch, the one thing that she had remembered to tie to her leg, and threw it at her stalker.

"That's an anti-evil talisman!" She cried.

It had been so strong that before this moment, she couldn't even touch it. Ren's kissed had super-powered it to be the ultimate talisman.

Reino caught it easily and stared at it. His eyes widened and he threw it back instantly, Kyoko barely managed to catch it.

"You should throw that away," he said. "It is ingrained with a massive amount of negative energy from its original owner – even more than what you could have possibly put into it."

"I won't throw it away just because you said to you creep," Kyoko said as she clenched the stone.

"Fool. The emotions held in that are not of an ordinary child from an ordinary household. That person, the previous owner, if they couldn't break away from that prison it is likely that they are now broken or gone from this world."

Kyoko froze. Gone from this world? Was he saying that Corn was dead? Kyoko was shocked for a second - no, it wasn't possible for Corn to have died. He was a fairy, so he wasn't in this world to start with. That was the solution.

"So what? I already knew that much. Corn wasn't from this world. He was from the fairy world."

Reino looked at her for a moment like _she_ was the crazy one.

"Anyway, you should seriously consider throwing that stone away or getting it cleansed." He warned. "Let me see it again."

"No way!"

"Just give it to me!" Reino argued and advanced, she stepped back.

"No, you'll turn it into something evil!"

"I'm trying to help you and save you from being cursed, just give it to me," he demanded and grabbed her by the arm.

Kyoko tripped and fell on her butt and Reino descended. Kyoko instantly threw up her arms to fend him off, engaging them in a weird grappling situation. Kyoko strained against him, keeping her grip tight around her precious stone.

When Reino was suddenly pulled off of her, Kyoko couldn't do anything but stare up in shock. Ren was standing above her, looking angrier than she had ever seen him and holding on to her inhuman stalker.

"R-Ren," she managed to whisper.

Ren tightened his hold on Reino's arm. When Reino flipped his hand out of the grasped and retreated far away from Ren looking terrified, Kyoko sat up onto her knees weakly to look at him while Ren looked stunned. Sensing that the stalker wasn't about to do anything, he quickly helped Kyoko up to her feet.

"Are you alright?" he asked worried.

She nodded and they both looked back to Reino who had started panting.

"You…" He panted as though he had just run a marathon. "Who _are_ you Tsuruga Ren?"

He paused slightly and Ren looked taken aback and worried. How did this person know so much about him? Was Kyoko _actually_ right? Was this guy some sort of inhuman being? In any case, it was probably better to stop him before he got carried away.

"That is a false name, isn't it? In the past, you must have been overs-"

Ren recovered from his shock quickly and chuckled.

"False name? That is a rather unusual way to put it, but 'Tsuruga Ren' is certainly my stage name. What of it? We don't need to know anymore about me, stalker-kun. Stop trying to change the subject."

"So what, are you going to hit me Tsuruga-san?" Reino asked. "If someone like you hit me, I wouldn't be able to get off as lightly as I did with Fuwa Sho."

Ren glared. How in the world did this guy get all of this information?

"Nobody is going to get hit. But, that is only if you _never_ come near Kyoko again, do you understand me? I don't tolerate people messing with people I care about."

"Fine, I don't particularly care about dying, but I am afraid of pain. Kyoko, throw that thing away, its evil."

"I will never throw it away!"

Reino walked away, leaving Kyoko to stare at him. Why hadn't it been that easy for her to get rid of him? The silence that followed was unsettling, giving that Ren was still exceptionally angry. Kyoko knew that the dark prince had already come out, so now she was treading on dangerous ground. She hated when Ren was angry.

"Thank you for saving me," Kyoko said, hoping to break the silence.

"What was said before…"

"When me and that monster were grappling?"

"No, what he just said. What does he want you to throw away?"

"It's…" She hesitated.

"So now you have a secret that you can't tell me?" He demanded. "You're even so close to that guy that you'll let him call you by only your first name."

"He decided that by himself!" She defended. "And besides, it's not like you haven't held secrets from me _Tsuruga Ren_. Will our _child_ even his father's real name?"

* * *

**AN**: That's all for now. I know that a lot of you were hoping that Kyoko would accept Ren's proposal but don't worry – he isn't giving up yet! I love the end of this chapter. Look forward to more updates soon.

Please remember to review. Reviews are better than Kyoko grappling with Reino in the mud.


	10. Chapter 10

**Always Be My Baby**

by Kris Black

**Summary:** After going over lines for _TDM_, Kyoko and Ren have a night of passion and the result could not only cause a scandal, but ruin both of their careers. How will the two lovers withstand the trials of their love?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any part of _Skip Beat!_ the manga or the anime. I do not own any characters listed in this story except those you don't recognize. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money is being made off of the story as a whole, or in part.

**AN**: As a birthday present to myself, I decided to update today. Yay for the big 2-0! This chapter isn't as long as the others, simply because I like where I left off. Not much Ren in this chapter, and there might not be much in the next one either, but we all have to sacrifice sometimes to get to the story. Moko appears in this chapter (I know, I know _finally_) and there is a little present at the end to lighten the mood from where I _was_ going to end it.

In other news, visit my new website (complete with a blog). I am really proud of it:

_**krisblack (dot) webs (dot) com**_

If you are ever wondering why I am not updating for some reason, I keep a blog there on my writing status of the next chapter. Sometimes I may give small clues away too ^_~.

Enjoy the chapter guys!

* * *

"Kyoko you know that I wouldn't-"

"What do I know Ren?" She cried out. "I know that I am pregnant, I know that some crazy stalker has been after me, and now I know that you haven't completely been open with me and here you are accusing me of keeping secrets from you."

"I was wrong. I was caught up in the moment," he defended himself. "I apologise. But I won't apologise for keeping my identity from you."

He wanted to protect her. His past was not to be envied by anyone; he was terrified that if she ever heard anything of his past life she would hate him, not only that but he would leave her forever tainted. He wished that he hadn't done some of the things that he had in the past, but that was a different person in a different lifetime who he would like nothing better than to forget.

Kyoko stepped towards him and looked up at him closely.

"Why won't you just tell me what your name is?" She demanded.

He stepped closer, inches away from her.

"I am trying to protect you."

"From what? What difference could a name possibly make?"

"The same argument can be made in my defence. You know me, Kyoko. You know my personality, you know my hobbies, and you know likes and dislikes. You know that Yashiro is my manager. You know me more than anyone ever has which is disconcerting." He moved closer to her and leaned down to look her in the eyes. "You know my feelings too Kyoko. You know the only me that I want to know."

He inched closer and she closed her eyes in a fluttering motion. Ren hesitated. Did he really want to move those few centimetres and connect their lips? Of course he did. At this point in time, he wanted nothing more than to kiss and make up for the argument that they just had but no one had won. He knew that this kiss would throw off any semblance of balance they had found in their rocky relationship between friends and almost-lovers. Kyoko wanted nothing to do with love or any emotion remotely related to it at this point, so why didn't she move back, open her eyes and tell him to leave her alone instead of just standing there? Surely she wasn't thinking clearly.

Her eyes blinked open, sensing his hesitation. For a moment he clearly saw hurt on her face before she covered it up like she always did. She was quick to hold back her emotions from even him, although sometimes she would let herself slip through for him to help her. He needed Kyoko to feel something for once, to repair the damage that _he_ had inflicted on her heart and soul. Without another moment of hesitation, Ren stepped forward and pulled Kyoko towards him gently, pulling his lips down and over hers.

Kyoko hesitated for only a moment before she closed her eyes and responded to Ren's gentle kiss. It seemed almost natural for her to. Her mind went blank as she felt the soft caress of his lips over hers. His smell overcame her, the sweet scent of his cologne and freshly cut grass. She moved her arms around his neck and pulled herself closer, throwing them off balance slightly before Ren wrapped his arms around her waist to centre their balance.

When Ren's hand touched her back slightly, Kyoko was snapped back into reality. Here she was again in a compromising situation with Tsuruga Ren and instead of acting professional and friendly they had automatically jumped each other.

'Dammit all to hell,' Kyoko thought angrily and pulled away from Ren.

Ren knew the moment that Kyoko had stiffened that she was about to pull away, so he was ready with a stoic facial mask.

'Good job, Ren,' he scolded himself. 'Way to push her away, just like you _didn't_ want. She'll never talk to you again.'

Kyoko couldn't scold herself enough. Why was it that she had this almost uncontrollable urge every time she and Ren were in these kinds of situations? Wasn't this the reason she was pregnant and in this kind of situation in the first place?

"I – I have to go. I still need to thank Director Ogata and catch the bus back to Tokyo," Kyoko stuttered.

She left without waiting for an answer from him, leaving Ren by himself. The moment the door shut behind her Ren punched the nearest plant holder, a massive pot holding what looked like a decent sized palm tree that had been sitting on the counter next to him.

'I just made another horrible life-altering decision,' he cursed himself and stormed back to his hotel room.

He slammed the greenhouse door behind him. Inside, the plant pot that he had taken his anger out on (which had to be about the size of a boulder and thick as a wall) cracked slightly before bursting into tiny pieces, sending the tree to the floor. Staff from the hotel rushed in quickly.

* * *

Director Ogata had told Kyoko that she had a week off while they finished up the shooting on location, meaning that Ren would still be stuck there for a week. Kyoko sighed in relief. Although she didn't like being away from Ren and Yashiro, she needed time to herself more than anything else in the world right now. Yashiro met her at the bus stop to send her off.

"Ren is in the middle of shooting, so I came to send you off safely."

"Thank you Yashiro-san," Kyoko smiled at him, thankful that she wasn't going to see Ren because she was sure he was angry with her. She didn't want to risk seeing the demon king. She shuddered.

"I heard that you have the next week off from shooting," Yashiro tried to start a conversation, Kyoko seemed more withdrawn then usual.

"I do. I will most likely be doing jobs with the Love-Me Section though."

"Well, don't forget to take breaks and rest a lot," Yashiro scolded like a father before joking. "And don't let Moko-san push you around."

Kyoko froze. _Moko_.

'Moko is going to _kill me_!" Kyoko panicked, looking back and forth chaotically in case she had come to hunt her down already.

With everything with Ren, Beagle, and _him_, she hadn't even once called her best friend in the whole entire universe! She could just imagine what Moko was going to do to her when she got back.

The colour drained from Kyoko's face.

"Kyoko-chan, are you alright?"

"I haven't called Moko-chan yet," she whimpered.

"You mean, you haven't told her _anything_?"

"She is going to murder me, Yashiro-san," Kyoko yelled, grabbing onto his collar and shaking him roughly. Her demons began to sing a funeral march. "She is going to chop me into pieces! How could I have forgotten to call her? Remember me well."

"Su-Surely it won't be that bad…" Yashiro laughed nervously.

Kyoko instantly went into demon-mode, glaring at Yashiro for having the gall to underestimate her best friend.

"You don't know Moko-chan then."

Yashiro looked like he was about to say something when Kyoko began vibrating all over. Yashiro didn't know whether to laugh or call an exorcist. Her whole body began to shake, looking evil until she pulled a cell phone out of her pocket.

"Hello?" She said in her usual tone, all demons disappearing for now.

She nodded a couple of times, saying she was free and then ended the call. Yashiro didn't want to ask because he knew that it wasn't his business, but he was just so _curious_.

"It was the OB-GYN in Tokyo that the doctor here had referred me to. She was just calling to set up an appointment in a couple of weeks," Kyoko satisfied Yashiro's curiosity.

The shuttle bus pulled up to the curb and opened its doors for Kyoko.

"Take care of yourself."

She nodded and picked up her luggage, getting onto the bus. Yashiro waved her off knowing there was no way Kyoko could stay out of trouble for a whole week by herself.

'Hopefully Moko-san will lock her up,' Yashiro prayed before he made his way back to Ren. If he didn't he was sure that stupid actor would skip his lunch.

* * *

Moko had been waiting for Kyoko at the bus stop in Tokyo. Kyoko darkened. She was sure that the traitor Yashiro had been the grand concocter of this scheme. Moko didn't look please and Kyoko was terrified.

"I guess one call would have killed you," she greeted.

"Mo-Moko-chan."

"Don't you 'Mo-Moko-chan' me. I thought that we were supposed to be best friends or something ridiculous like that?"

"We- we are."

"Then what was so important that you couldn't spare five minutes to call me and tell me how you were doing?"

'If Ren is the Demon King, Moko has to be one of his underlings,' Kyoko thought, terrified by the look on Moko's face. 'Like his second in command.'

"I am so sorry Moko-chan," Kyoko wailed as she threw her arms around her. "I meant to call you, really. But things just got so out-of-hand that I completely forgot. You wouldn't imagine the horrible things that that Beagle did, or –"

"You're making a scene," Moko muttered angrily under her breath.

Kyoko's head instantly popped up and watched people all around her staring at them. Kyoko smiled weakly.

"Maybe we should go out and catch up," Moko suggested.

Kyoko readily agreed and trailed Moko down the street, her suitcase wheels creating a dull lull behind them.

"You haven't been reading any tabloids or anything while you were away, have you?" Moko asked, breaking the comfortable silence that had engulfed them.

"No, why?"

"No reason," Moko said, looking relieved.

"O-okay."

Moko took Kyoko to an old-fashioned ramen noodle shop and requested a booth in the back, which was still in the open, just away from the rest of the customers. They ordered their ramen before Moko started staring at Kyoko, waiting for an explanation.

Kyoko gulped. She was feeling so anxious right now that her stomach began to feel upset and she felt slight cramping.

"Well, I guess I should start off with telling you that I met Fuwa Sho at the shoot."

"What?"

"It was totally out of the blue and I was just as shocked as you are now. We got into a fight, of course, and then this rival band of his showed up – Beagle."

"Never heard of them." Moko stated.

Their ramen was delivered and Kyoko continued on with her story while the pain in her stomach got worse and worse.

"_He_ said that he had taken care of him but I didn't believe him."

Kyoko stopped for a second and took a couple of deep breaths.

"Kyoko, are you all right?" Moko asked worried. "Your face has drained of colour and you're sweating…"

The pain hit her in her abdomen again and her brows furrowed.

'Oh god,' Kyoko thought.

The pain had gotten worse and Kyoko was a person who couldn't tolerate pain for very long – although she could if it involved things like work, like the ankle incident with Ren.

"Moko-chan, I think that you should take me to a hospital," Kyoko stammered.

"Why, Kyoko, what's wrong?"

"I think there might be something wrong with my baby," she whispered, her eyes welling up with tears.

"You're _baby_?!"

She had been waiting for the right time to drop the pregnancy bomb on Moko, but there was no time like the present. Moko got directions to the nearest medical facility and helped Kyoko out the doors as fast as they could go.

* * *

President Lory sat as his desk, cell phone in hand.

"Indeed, I think so too," he affirmed. "From her point of view, there probably wouldn't be enough either. It's best not to expect too much. Try to consider her feelings."

He paused for a moment, listening to the man on the other line.

"Yes. I'll do my best to settle things. We can meet at the end of this month, the twenty-second."

He hung up the phone and slung his head back on the chair. The best he could do? He laughed lightly.

'This is awkward,' he laughed to himself. 'How am I going to deal with this complicated situation without forcing things? Isn't there someway to get his done more smoothly?'

A light bulb went off in Lory's head. There was a way to solve his problem, and it would be coming back to the office after her two-day vacation; he relaxed again, proud of his brain.

He didn't have to involve himself in this matter at all – thank God.

* * *

**AN**: And that's all folks~! I already know what Kuu fans are thinking, I bet (because I am one!). Stay tuned for the next chapter.

P.S.: **Reviews are AMAZING birthday presents. May 24th is a GREAT day for a birthday.** Please review, if only to give me an amazing birthday – I have to share it with my little brother (he turned 14 today and I turned 20), so it is nice to have things for yourself.


	11. Chapter 11

**Always Be My Baby**

by Kris Black

**Summary:** After going over lines for _TDM_, Kyoko and Ren have a night of passion and the result could not only cause a scandal, but ruin both of their careers. How will the two lovers withstand the trials of their love?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any part of _Skip Beat!_ the manga or the anime. I do not own any characters listed in this story except those you don't recognize. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money is being made off of the story as a whole, or in part.

**AN**: I know, I know – it has been over two months where the h- was I? Well, mostly at college and stuff. Plus, I had a bit of writer's block. If you want to know the details, visit my website blog because I don't want to have to write a super long AN – you have all been waiting long enough

This chapter is short, unfortunately, and really doesn't go anywhere. However, it did get me past the part where I encountered my writer's block, so hopefully now we will have smooth sailing for at least a little while.

Visit my new website (complete with a blog). I am really proud of it:

_**krisblack (dot) webs (dot) com**_

If you are ever wondering why I am not updating for some reason, I keep a blog there on my writing status of the next chapter. Sometimes I may give small clues away too ^_~.

Enjoy the short chapter that has rid me of that demon called _Writer's Block_!

* * *

Kyoko had gotten in to see a doctor almost immediately – Moko yelling in the waiting room like a banshee might have added to that. Or when Moko glared evilly at all of the other patients and the nurses.

"Everything looks like it is going to be fine, Mogami-san," the doctor explained, looking at her charts. "No bleeding, no spotting."

"But the pain was so bad…"

"In the eighth week of pregnancy it is common for women to have pains like menstrual cramps because the uterus is stretching."

"But I don't usually get cramps."

"That's why the pain was so sudden and hard for you," the doctor continued. "The pain should pass soon enough. Until then, get plenty of rest and drink lots of water. Do you have an appointment with your OB-GYN?"

"Yes, it's in a couple of weeks."

"Good, he or she can check on your baby's growth and health better then. Do you have any other questions?"

"N-no," Kyoko stuttered. "Thank you Sensei."

The old doctor smiled at her kindly before leaving the room. Kyoko gathered her stuff slowly and made her way to the waiting room where Moko was sitting with her arms crossed looking completely angry and nervous.

"Are you alright?" She rushed up to Kyoko as soon as she saw her. "What about the baby?"

"We are both fine, I just need to drink some water and get some rest."

"Water and rest?" Moko practically yelled. "What kind of crack pot would prescribe that to a pregnant woman in pain?"

"It'll be fine Moko," Kyoko laughed, heading towards the exit.

"Don't think you can escape from me that easily!" Moko exclaimed and caught up to her quickly, matching her pace. "You have a lot of explaining to do. You'll be lucky if I ever forgive you."

Kyoko's eyes watered up instantly and she looked at her best friend with puppy dog eyes.

"Moko, please forgive me!" She cried. "I didn't mean to not tell you –it's just that everything happened so fast."

She sobbed a little and continued.

"And-and I didn't even know what was happening most of the time."

"How far along are you?" Moko asked, assuming a calm demeanour.

"Eight weeks," Kyoko replied before hastily adding: "But I only found out a week or two ago when I first went on location!"

"And the father is…?" Moko probed.

Kyoko hung her head low and scuffled her feet as they continued walking.

"Who is the father, Kyoko?"

Kyoko muttered something under her breath inaudibly. Moko strained to hear but didn't catch enough to make it out, although she was almost certain who it was.

"I didn't catch that."

"It's Tsuruga Ren!" Kyoko wailed, flailing her arms. "And I don't know what I am going to do. According to the President and Ren just the tabloids finding out about me staying the night as his house could have ruined us – but now, now this could destroy what little career I have and Ren's too!"

"I am sure everything will work out," Moko managed to choke out, hoping to calm her distressed friend. "There is a solution to every situation…"

'Like me murdering the miserable bastard,' Moko added angrily in her head.

"I don't know Moko."

"Well, if it gives you piece of mind for now, I will forgive you. But you are going to owe me big."

"Done," Kyoko smiled up at her best friend.

"Let's get you home. You are going to be lying in bed with a gallon of water on your lap for the next couple of days."

There was a crowd lined up in front of the big glass doors, all whispering to themselves.

"This can't be good," Moko muttered.

She motioned for Kyoko to stay back and walked over to the nearest person.

"Hey, what's going on?"

"We think that there is a celebrity in the hospital!" The excited older woman whispered to Moko. "There are over twenty paparazzi standing outside waiting for him or her to come out. Who do you think it is?"

Moko managed to shrug indifferently before hurrying back to Kyoko.

"I think that we had better find a different exit."

"Why? What's going on?"

Moko grabbed Kyoko and began pulling her towards the information booth to see if there was another way out. When Kyoko started shaking, Moko immediately let go of her hand and turned so quickly that she was merely a blur.

"Kyoko?"

Kyoko was fiddling around in her pockets, and pulled out her vibrating cell phone. Moko shook her head and walked over to information.

"Hello?"

"Kyoko!" Ren's voice almost shouted. "What happened? Why are you in the hospital?"

"How-How did you-?"

"Apparently people have nothing better to do than to spy on our lives," Ren answered. "I just met up with some paparazzi asking me how you were doing and what you were in the hospital for."

"It-it's nothing really," Kyoko blushed, not wanting to admit that she went to the hospital and found out it was only cramping. "We're both fine."

"That is a relief," Ren sighed. "What about the paparazzi? Are they bothering you?"

"They aren't allowed in the hospital, but I assume that the way Moko-chan acted that they are waiting outside the front doors."

"I'll come over and get you-"

"No Ren, that will just add fuel to the fire, you know that. Plus, you are at work and this isn't really an emergency or anything. I'll be fine, I promise; I am with Moko-chan, she can protect me."

"Alright. But I am calling a taxi to come and get you," Ren argued. "I don't want you or Kotonami-san running around Tokyo trying to get away from the paparazzi."

"Ren, neither of us can afford a taxi in Tokyo…"

"Don't worry about it; just tell me which exit you are leaving from."

"Just a second," Kyoko said, covering the receiver.

"Moko, which exit are we taking?"

Moko thanked the information receptionist and walked over to Kyoko.

"They said that we can leave through the entrance that the ambulance uses – there shouldn't be any press there."

Kyoko nodded and pulled the phone back up to her ear.

"We are leaving through the ambulance entrance."

"Alright, I'll send a taxi over right away."

"Who are you talking to, Kyoko?" Moko interrupted.

"Um-"was all that Kyoko managed to choke out before Moko grabbed the phone.

"This is Tsuruga Ren, isn't it?" She accused into the phone.

"Kotonami-san?" Ren asked, slightly startled.

"You wait until I get my hands on you," she muttered into the phone.

"I have made arrangements for you and Kyoko to get out of the hospital unseen and unharmed," Ren answered, ignoring her threat. "Yashiro is working on it now. Just make sure that you exit at the ambulance entrance."

"Fine," she answered and tossed the phone back at Kyoko.

"Thank you, Ren."

"Don't worry about it – just get into that taxi."

"Consider it done."

Kyoko hit "end" and followed Moko, who had gotten the directions from the receptionist. By the time that they arrived at the ambulance entrance, there was already a cab waiting for them. Moko walked out of the double-wide doors first, checking to make sure that the way was clear. She motioned for Kyoko follow, and then opened the cab door. Kyoko got in first, followed by Moko.

"Where to?" The cabbie asked.

Kyoko told him the directions to her house, the Daruma, and the driver pulled out of the hospital. Kyoko looked back at the front doors to see the mass of paparazzi holding their cameras, hoping to catch a glimpse of her walking out.

Kyoko sighed.

"Rough day?" Asked the cabbie, trying to make small talk.

"Like you wouldn't believe," Kyoko answered and laid her head on the back of the seat.

"Maybe I should stay at your place tonight," Moko suggested, pulling on a super smile. "You know, we can have a slumber party and eat ice cream and stuff."

'The things she does for this girl…' Moko thought darkly.

"Really, Moko-chan?" Kyoko picked right up. "You really want to have a slumber party with me?"

Not trusting herself to be able to produce anymore sugary-sweetness, Moko smiled her actress smiled and nodded.

When the taxi pulled up to the Daruma, Kyoko was relieved when she didn't see any flashes and people hurrying to swarm the car.

'That's just ridiculous,' Kyoko laughed to herself. 'They have no idea where I live.'

"How much?" Moko asked almost painfully.

"Don't worry, it has already been paid for," the cabbie waved his hand.

Moko looked at Kyoko, who shrugged and they quickly got out of the taxi and into the daruma.

"I am going to go and ask your landlady for a lot of water for you. You run upstairs and get into bed. I'll bring movies up or something and we can watch them," Moko directed, pushing Kyoko towards the stairs.

"Alright," Kyoko conceded and walked up to her bedroom.

Once her door was shut, Kyoko changed into a set of her pyjamas and crawled into bed with her cell phone in hand. She laid a hand on her stomach and dialled Ren's familiar number.

"Kyoko?" Ren asked after only a two rings.

"I just wanted to tell you that I made it home safely and I am currently in bed resting," Kyoko said. "And I wanted to thank you for helping me out today."

"There is no need to thank me; I am the reason things turned out like this in the first place."

"Ren, I-"

"You don't need to argue with me today, Kyoko," Ren teased.

After a few moments of comfortable silence, Ren spoke up again in a serious tone.

"So, you are resting now?"

"Yes."

"What exactly happened, Kyoko? Why did you have to go to the hospital?"

Kyoko closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Ren, of course, wanted to know. In fact, he had a right to know especially if it involved his child. Kyoko just didn't want to go into details.

"It wasn't anything serious, I was just having some cramping," Kyoko explained.

"Cramping?" Ren's tone sounded worried.

"But it is completely normal around this time," Kyoko rushed out. "Don't worry Ren, if it were anything serious I promise that I wouldn't hide it from you."

"I know that you wouldn't…"

"Are you talking to Tsuruga Ren again?" Moko accused when she came into the room, dropping healthy munchies (like carrots), movies and about six bottles of water onto the floor.

"Um…" Kyoko managed. "Ren, I have to go Moko-chan and I are having a slumber party."

"Slumber party?"

"I'll talk to you soon."

"Take care of yourself."

"I will. Bye."

"Bye."

Kyoko closed her cell phone and put it on the floor beside her bed. Moko grabbed a bottle of water and passed it to Kyoko.

"So, what do you want to watch – horror, romance or comedy?"

* * *

**AN**: That's it. Please remember to review, I will be super grateful. Also, if you have any ideas drop me a line in either a review or a comment on my blog on my website.

Remember - if you ever wonder why I am not updating you can visit: **krisblack (dot) webs (dot) com**

**Reviews are better than Chicken Fried Rice  
**


	12. Chapter 12

**Always Be My Baby**

by Kris Black

**Summary:** After going over lines for _TDM_, Kyoko and Ren have a night of passion and the result could not only cause a scandal, but ruin both of their careers. How will the two lovers withstand the trials of their love?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any part of _Skip Beat!_ the manga or the anime. I do not own any characters listed in this story except those you don't recognize. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money is being made off of the story as a whole, or in part.

**AN**: After a two month wait, you get two chapters in one weekend – hopefully, this makes up for the lost time a little bit and people begin to forgive me.

On a happier note – Goodbye writer's block. I would say that I miss you, but I really don't.

Hopefully you will understand more of what Kyoko and Ren are feeling in this chapter.

Oh, and please give a warm welcome to Kuu, ladies and gentlemen!

Visit my website (complete with a blog). I am really proud of it:

_**krisblack (dot) webs (dot) com**_

If you are ever wondering why I am not updating for some reason, I keep a blog there on my writing status of the next chapter. Sometimes I may give small clues away too ^_~.

* * *

When Kyoko showed up for work, she felt remarkably better – despite having a huge water bottle in her back pack, everything was back to normal.

"I was thinking that for the next couple of months, I might just do a few commercials and work in the Love-Me Section," Kyoko was telling Moko. "That is probably the best option out there."

"It also reduces the amount of time that you spend in the public eye, so the paparazzi thing might die down."

"I hope so."

Kyoko looked down at her feet and sighed.

"In the world of show business you don't haunch your back!" Moko reacted instantly and smacked Kyoko across the shoulders.

Kyoko stumbled a little bit before straitening out her shoulders once more.

"Is something else wrong, Kyoko?" Moko asked. "You usually have terrifyingly good posture. For you to slump down is concerning."

"I just turned down a bunch of jobs, all of them were to play a mean, bullying character like Mio," Kyoko explained. "I might have considered them, but I don't want to cause any trouble working while I am in this condition. The manager was shocked, but I didn't give him much of a reason why I turned them down…"

"You mean no one at LME knows about…"

Kyoko shook her head.

"Ren and I haven't decided when and what exactly we want to tell them. We know that we have to soon, but it seems like neither one of us is at LME at the same time anymore…"

"Kyoko, you're going to have to tell them soon, regardless."

"I know. I was thinking about calling Ren this afternoon and doing it today. I would feel better if he were here, especially considering he knows the President a lot better than I do and would know what to say."

Kyoko's apprehension about everything was sending her into nerves. She really loved acting. At first, she did all of this to get back at _him_, but now she was happy. She didn't want to lose her job – she didn't want to lose the sense of being able to utterly and completely lose herself in a role and forget everything; but, she also wasn't able to let go of the baby.

Moko opened her mouth to speak, maybe to object, but didn't manage to say anything before being interrupted by a loud rumbling coming down the hallway. They both turned around slowly to look down the corridor.

They both knew that they should be used to weird things like a giant pirate ship on wheels being pushed down the hallway, working at LME with an almost-clinically-insane president usually yielded things such as this.

But, it was still rather surprising (if not a little frightening) to see a pirate ship coming towards you on ceramic tiling.

"Ah, there you are Mogami-san!" The president exclaimed as he popped out of the boat, dressed like Captain Hook from _Peter Pan_.

The moment he jumped out, streamers began popping, making a massive amount of colours float around the President-Captain.

"I have a job request for you," he told her from the top of the ship.

Kyoko stared up at him, wide-eyed. Had he found out that she had just refused all of her offers for a drama? If so, was he here to make sure she accepted one? She couldn't refuse the president… but she didn't want to have to tell him about her condition in this environment – in front of everyone and without Ren by her side to help her explain.

Just when Kyoko was sure she was about to hyperventilate, the President spoke up again.

"It has been a while since I have put in a request to the Love Me Section!"

Kyoko stopped. Love me section?! He didn't want her to act? She didn't know whether to feel relived or hurt. She felt relieved that she didn't have to come out just yet; but, on the other hand did he think that her acting ability wasn't good enough yet…? She admitted that she was still an amateur, but did that mean that all he thought that she was good at was menial tasks for the company?

"Love Me Section?" She asked.

* * *

Ren sat beside Kijima, (an actor who he had worked with a few times before, who had just recently been cast for a part on Dark Moon), thinking about what he was going to do about Kyoko. After all, that girl been to the hospital and didn't even bother calling him to tell him about it – would she ever have told him about it if he didn't call and ask her about it?

He mentally kicked himself. Of course she would have. Kyoko wasn't deceitful or conniving; she was probably just scared and didn't know what to do.

Which was almost the exact position he was in – he didn't know what to do. Since that night two months ago, besides for Kyoko becoming pregnant, there relationship hadn't changed all that much, which was both surprising and disheartening. It was like no matter what happened Kyoko would forever remain the girl who Fuwa Sho had broken. Was it even possible to bring back the loving, caring and trusting girl he had fallen in love with in his childhood?

He didn't know what he could do for Kyoko though; hell, he didn't even know how to fix himself, let alone the woman who he cared deeply for.

But, she was his responsibility now. He couldn't just leave her high and dry, even if she didn't mean anything to him – but she did. She meant so much to him that it almost sent him running. He didn't want to feel like this about anyone, he just wanted to surpass his past; but it was too late now.

He wanted to protect her. He wanted her close to him and safe. He wanted her to move in with him so he could do that. He wanted to be with her forever. He wanted her.

But that would probably never happen. Kyoko had built diamond walls around her heart – nothing could break through them. No matter how much he tried to push, no matter what kind of tool he used, he couldn't break through.

He needed to decide what he was going to do.

"There are a couple of on-lookers today," Kijima commented, nodding his head towards a bunch of fans standing around swooning.

"Yeah…" Ren replied. "We're not average people after all."

"You would know all about that, what with the paparazzi following you around like flies on dead meat," said Kijima empathetically. "But, I guess a certain amount is to be expected.

"But to be honest, I am kind of disappointed that there are guys among the onlookers as well."

Ren laughed.

"You're the same as ever."

"Oh no!" Kijima burst out. "When the story develops further and Mio becomes Mizuki's ally, there will be even more onlookers for Mizuki and Mio! How awful!"

"Mio won't be back in the show for quite a few months," Ren said, looking up from his script. "Her arc is done, she really only has cameos left."

"Right…" Kijima sighed. "Well, I guess it doesn't matter, she'll never be as charming as Mizuki, after all. Between the two, Isumi-chan would definitely be the more popular."

Ren looked back down at his script, determined to ignore is co-worker.

"By the way, Tsuruga-kun, do you know Oohara-san's phone number?"

"No, I don't."

"Then what about Isumi-chan?"

"I don't know hers either."

"Eh?! You are as useless as ever, man," Kijima joked.

"Sorry," Ren said, staring at his script but not changing the page. He could barely see the words.

"Oh well, I guess I'll just have to go and ask them myself," Kijima said and lazily walked towards the ladies of the show.

Yashiro walked behind Ren.

"I am surprised that you could just laugh all that off," he noted. "Especially since that guy was basically belittling Kyoko."

"He didn't mean anything bad by it."

Although Ren knew that, he was still feeling a little stirred up. But he didn't mind. It wasn't like he expected others to find Kyoko charming the same way he did. As long as he knew her that was alright. No one else needed to get to know the sweet, charming, caring, innocent girl he knew Kyoko to be. In fact, he would prefer if no one else found out how amazing she was.

A crowd gathered at the other end of the room, all talking excitedly which brought Ren back to the room and away from his thoughts of Kyoko. Ren got up and walked over, seeing a nervous Director Ogata standing in the front of the crowd, shaking slightly.

"What's all the fuss about?"

"Tsuruga-san!" The director called out, not able to hide his apparent excitement. "It's amazing! Some amazing news has come in!"

"And what is that?"

The director looked up at Ren with undulated happiness and said four words that made Ren's whole body cease to function.

"Kuu is coming back!"

* * *

Kyoko stood with her mouth wide open. Had the president just asked her to take care of a super star?

"N-no way! Did you just say that I should take care of a super VIP?"

"Yup," the President nodded, the humongous feather in his pirate hat waving gently.

"Th-that's impossible!" Kyoko said bluntly. Then, remembering who she was talking to, and seeing the slightly surprised look on his face, added:

"Doesn't someone like that usually have tons of attendants and assistants?"

"Well, normally, yes," the president agreed. "However, he isn't normal. He hasn't brought anyone with him this time."

Being told that someone wasn't normal was not exactly a great impression; but, having someone who was as crazy and abnormal as the president tell her that someone wasn't normal was something that could strike fear into anyone. What kind of person was this super VIP?

"N-no! I don't want to take care of someone like that!"

"Don't get so worked up, it really is nothing. Besides, think of him as your sempai. He has already grown up and left so that he could become independent from me. Just be your natural self and you will be fine."

The president placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled at her. He wasn't going to take "no" for an answer, that was apparent.

* * *

So, when the day came, Kyoko was told to go to the airport and pick the super VIP up. She walked through the airport to the terminal he was supposed to exit from. There was already hundreds of press there, setting up their cameras and getting ready for his exit, not to mention fans.

When she exited the car LME company car, everyone stared at her. There was instant whispering and pointing, which made Kyoko feel a little insecure. She wasn't sure if they were whispering about the car that she had just got out of, if they had recognized her from the front of the tabloids about her and Ren, or if they were whispering about her outfit.

'Or all of the above,' she thought darkly to herself. 'Why do I have to be here dressed in my Love-Me Section uniform? After all this time, I thought that I would never have to wear these cursed overalls again. I am 'Mio' from the most talked about drama on TV right now…"

"Besides," she added out loud in a slight whisper. "I don't have the time or composure to take care of him right now."

She resisted the urge to bring her hand up to the slight (but only noticeable if you knew it was there) bulge on her stomach. If she did that right now, in front of all of the press, there would definitely be hell to pay. Instead, she put her hands at her sides and took perfectly straight – the way she was taught by _his_ mother.

The crowd began screaming and Kyoko looked up. There was a figure walking out from the terminal, though not clear from her distance. The security guards were fighting, keeping the fans behind the barriers as they all chanted:

"Hizuri Kuu!"

As he came closer, Kyoko could see that he had three or four body guards flanking him. Flashes were going off non-stop, which reminded Kyoko of what happened when paparazzi were trying to take her picture. Luckily, this time no one was paying any attention to her – it was all on the mega superstar that was walking towards her, dressed as she imagined an American star to be dressed.

He seemed like a nice guy, Kyoko noted, glad that he wasn't bonkers. She also noted that he was wearing sun glasses, which helped protect his eyes from the flashes, she was sure. Maybe she should invest in a pair of dark tinted sunglasses when she goes out too…

Hizuri Kuu stopped in front of her and looked her up and down. Their eyes met for a second, startling Kyoko and she instantly went down into a bow.

"How do-do you do?" She stuttered. "I am-"

She was cut off by an irritated look shot out by Hizuri Kuu and stared up at him in a silent shock. What had she done wrong?

Ren had just finished getting dressed for his next scene. Everyone was so excited over Hizuri Kuu's return that Ren could barely be little more that irritated at the whole thing. Was one person really worth all of this trouble and disorder? He tightened his tie and almost chocked himself when his dressing room door swung open and Yashiro barged in.

Yashiro's hands were flying around so fast that Ren could barely see them and Yashiro took a deep breath before shouting:

"It-It's incredible! Kuu was just on the TV!"

Ren has panicked when he had first seen Yashiro, thinking that something was wrong with Kyoko – she was, after all, the only thing that Yashiro seemed to get worked up over to him. But what he had just announced made Ren second guess what he thought about Yashiro. After all, he didn't seem the type to get star-struck over something so inconsequential.

"I know. He's just arrived in Japan, right?" Ren asked, trying to feign some sort of interest but he was sure that it had come out pretty dead-panned.

"Wrong!" Yashiro shouted, startling Ren again. "Wait, no – that's right, but that isn't what this is about!"

Okay, now Ren was confused and wondered if Yashiro had had something to drink. It wasn't like his manager to be so loud and excitable.

"What happened?" Ren asked patiently with a gentle voice.

Ren held his hand up before continuing:

"Calmly, please."

Yashiro froze, Ren could only guess he was trying to clear his head and order his thoughts to deliver whatever news in a calm manner.

"I saw it," Yashiro said in a scary after a few moments of silence. "That demonic uniform that, once seen, will be burned into your eyes forever."

If Ren had thought that Yashiro was talking in riddles before, now he was thoroughly confused. What could Hizuri Kuu arriving in Japan have anything to do with demonic uniforms that burn your eyes? Was he playing some sort of new game? If so, Ren didn't understand the rules. So, instead of asking, he charmingly did the next best thing.

"Huh?"

"It was only there for an instant, and I didn't see her face, but I am sure of it. When Hizuri Kuu got into the car at the airport, so did someone wearing a pink set of overalls. I am sure that that person was Kyoko!"

* * *

**AN**: And that's all for now folks! I can't say when to expect my next chapter as I start a new job tomorrow, but I will _try_ to get it out by next Sunday.

Don't forget to **review** and check out my website: krisblack (dot) webs (dot) com

**Reviews are better than Kuu in a leather!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Always Be My Baby**

by Kris Black

**Summary:** After going over lines for _TDM_, Kyoko and Ren have a night of passion and the result could not only cause a scandal, but ruin both of their careers. How will the two lovers withstand the trials of their love?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any part of _Skip Beat!_ the manga or the anime. I do not own any characters listed in this story except those you don't recognize. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money is being made off of the story as a whole, or in part.

**AN**: A short but sweet chapter with our beloved Kuu. Some explosive things are soon to come, so stay tuned. The next chapter should be up within the week, so no worries! Enjoy guys~!

* * *

He had asked for Kyoto-style food – she had made him Kyoto-style food. What the hell was his problem? Just because he was some big-star celebrity who made it in Hollywood didn't mean that he could just take all of her food and throw it into a huge trash bag!

She was, in one word, pissed.

And no one pisses off a pregnant woman.

And the _nerve_ he had to pretend like he forgot how to speak Japanese! What kind of idiot would forget his native tongue?

She had made the food to his exact specifications and he had the audacity to call it trash? And then to call room service and tell them that he would eat _anything_? She was just about to blow when that stupid actor let go of the straw that would break the proverbial camel's back:

"You're in the Tsukigomori remake aren't you?" He gloated, holding her the bag full of her delicious food out to her. "I want you to give these to the male-lead, whatever his name is."

If the demons hadn't made an appearance before, they were on the full scale attack now. There was no way in hell she was going to let that bastard get away with insulting her food _and_ Ren; especially not in the same day.

Hell, not even the same _decade_.

"It's Ren," she muttered in response.

"What?"

"The actor that will soon surpass you beyond your wildest imaginations – his name is Tsuruga Ren. You would do well to remember that," she answered in the most sinister she could muster.

She glowered at him, all her hate aimed straight at his blackened heart.

"You are backing him a lot," he commented. "Do you have any special feelings for him?"

"Of course," she replied. "I respect him."

"Is that all?"

"Of course it is! Despite what you might read in Japanese headlines, Tsuruga Ren is just a very important colleague to me! He is honest and trustworthy and I fully believe in him as an actor. As an actress he is so above me he is akin to godliness!"

He just stood there, stunned for a moment. How could anyone be this passionate about anything?

"And you were going to make him eat leftovers? I don't think so! This food was made for you so you are going to sit down and eat it yourself!"

Hizuri Kuu stared at the petit girl in front of him, evilness and hate wafting off of her like stink wafting off of dung. Did he dare say no? He could just imagine what she would do to him if he said no, and it wasn't in the least bit pleasant.

So Hizuri Kuu, superstar extraordinaire, plopped himself down at the table and began eating his leftovers out of a plastic garbage bag.

* * *

"What are you playing at?"

President Lori pulled the phone away from his ear and away from the furious voice that bellowed from it.

"What am I playing at?"

"Don't act dumb, please." Ren spat out. "This is regarding Kyoko. I know that you stuck her on an assignment to _that_ person. What are you scheming?"

"Don't be disrespectful. She is a Kyoto native, so I figured she could cook decent Kyoto-style food." He paused. "Is that all you wanted to know?"

Ren took a deep breath. Now was the time to tell President Lori that Kyoko was pregnant, he should be the one to do it and it should be now. In fact, in probably should have been two weeks ago, but he could just never find the right time to do it.

Now, with Kyoko in _his_ clutches perhaps he should tell Lori if only in an attempt to free her.

"Actually," Ren gulped and took a deep breath. "I do have something important to discuss with you. Could you meet with me tomorrow?"

"We can have lunch together, if that's alright with you," President Lori replied.

"I'll be there."

* * *

Hizuri Kuu was watching television while he finished eating, which further irritated Kyoko. The television program was going on and on about how he had returned to his homeland and how he was the most prestigious actor they have had in decades.

'Blah, blah, blah,' thought Kyoko.

If they knew what his personality was _really_ like, the show would probably be singing a different tune.

Speaking of bad personality and singing a different tune, the program switched to the music portion. Fuwa Sho's face appeared almost instantly and Kyoko's face turned stone cold.

"Fuwa Sho has just released his new single, making him the first artist in decades to have a number one hit for this many weeks in a row..."

The news reporter went on, but Kyoko had stopped listening. Sho had completely changed his musical style since the last time she had heard him. He had changed his music so completely that she had a hard time believing it was true.

It was true, wasn't it?

Her body went dead, it wouldn't respond to any action she wanted to do. She wanted to scream, she wanted to cry, she wanted to... what could she possibly do? She was fighting a losing battle it seemed.

She was about to collapse from despair.

"Mogami-san, what is wrong?" Kuu asked, putting down his chopsticks and turning towards her.

She looked like a zombie and she was acting like one too. What was her problem?

'I am going to lose,' was all that Kyoko could think.

There was no way that she could win against _him_. There was no way that she could reach his level. She had just begun as an actress and he was already dominating the top of the music career. She had just had her debut and he had dozens of songs that had already hit number one.

Soon, she was going to have to stop working as an actress for a while. She would have to take a break to take care of her child. During that time, would Sho just keep getting better? Would he be able to elevate himself to a place so high that she couldn't even see?

She was losing.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Mogami-san?" Kuu asked, tired of her zoning out and turned the television off.

The popping sound from the television, combined with Kuu's voice snapped Kyoko from her uncontrollable thought process.

'Snap out of it,' she lectured herself. 'You can still beat that no-talent asshole. This is only a small set-back.'

Kyoko looked up at Kuu, who seemed genuinely surprised at her sudden change in demeanour. Only moments ago she had been all doom and gloom and he was sure that she was somehow making a portal to hell for him. Now she managed to look straight at him with a determined smile.

She opened her mouth, about to tell him she was fine, when her cell phone rang. Her whole body vibrated as she quickly pulled the phone out and answered.

"Ah, Mogami-san! I have been trying to reach you for days!" The manager of the acting department practically shouted. "We have some job requests that have come in for you. Will you be able to come down to the office tomorrow and review them?"

"Job requests?" Kyoko asked. She had always been the one who went out to search for jobs, always. She had never been asked _by_ the employer to work for them.

"Yes, we have four or five parts here that you are being considered for."

"What kind of roles are we talking about?" Kyoko asked, dread filling up from her stomach.

She was pregnant. She couldn't accept any job that was more than a week, maybe two, long. She was beginning to show and she didn't want to give companies a hard time because of her own selfish wants to work – not when it would be detrimental in the long run. Unless these offers were for a commercial or extremely short term, she would have to turn them all down.

Was this the price that she would be forced to pay for having sex out of wedlock?

"They are all villain parts in dramas!" The manager said excitedly. "You could be involved in another hit! You are lucky to have been given so much work possibilities in such a short amount of time after your debut, most actresses have to wait years to be recognized!"

Kyoko ran a hand through her hair. If it was a villain for a drama, there was no way that she could accept _any _of the jobs.

Besides, would she want to be type casted as the bad guy for the rest of her acting career (however long that might be, now)?

"I am sorry," Kyoko replied lowly. "I-I am scared that I will be type casted as the bad guy. I don't want to play only mean girls. So please, can you ref-"

Kyoko was cut off by an angry Hizuri Kuu who snatched the cell phone out of Kyoko's hand.

"Hi, it's Hizuri Kuu here. Just disregard everything Mogami-san just said. She'll call you back once her fever subsides."

With that, he shut the phone and glared at Kyoko.

"What did you do that for?" Kyoko demanded.

She had gathered up all of her courage to refuse those jobs. She knew that she wouldn't be able to work during her pregnancy, but it didn't mean that she didn't _want _to work! Now she was going to have to go in and tell the manager all over again that she couldn't accept the job!

"Do you think that you are such a special actress that you have the right to pick and choose your jobs already?" Kuu challenged. "Dark Moon was your debut! No one knows yet if you can act any other way than mean and yet you expect to get other job offers? You're lucky to be getting job offers!

She knew that. She knew that she was still considered an amateur. She knew that she should be thankful that she was getting job offers.

But no matter what Hizuri Kuu said, she couldn't accept any of them.

"You have to develop a different character for each part, no matter how similar they may be," he continued preaching. "Each of your characters should have their own personality, their own walk, and their own looks. If you keep repeating the same performance, people will begin to get bored with you. If you only get bullying or evil character parts, you must make a different and higher grade of bullying each time you get a part. Only then will you be able to become an accomplished actress."

"When I was in school, I was bullied," Kyoko confessed. "It was mostly the standard stuff, like stealing my shoes and drawing on my textbooks and desk though. I don't know any other sort of bullying..."

"You don't know? If you get a job offer involving space, the future, or something whimsical will you simply turn it down because you don't know about it? Because you haven't experienced it? Because you haven't seen it?"

Kyoko knew he was right. She still knew that she couldn't possibly accept the jobs, not if she wanted to save Ren's career. These few refusals might even save her career. But, he was right; she needed to be able to think out of the box more. She needed to be able to develop characters; she needed to expand her mind.

She needed to beat Fuwa Sho at his own game. And she was determined to do so.

A superstar actor was offering his sage advice, he was offering his guidance. This was a chance for her to get a step up on Fuwa Sho. This was her chance to seize an opportunity and better her skills.

"No, Sensei," she replied to his rhetorical questions.

"Good," Kuu smiled at her. "Now all I need to do is give your imagination a boost. There is no way you can be an actress without properly developing your imagination. I'm going to give you a theme. You're going to construct a character from that theme for me by tomorrow morning, do you understand?"

"Yes sensei," she replied.

Pregnant or not, there was no way she was missing the chance to be tutored in acting by a senior. She would take all the advice that she could get and put it to use.

Kuu thought for a moment. He needed a role to teach his new-found (albeit accidentally) student how to develop a character, something quick that he wouldn't have to think hard about, something unknown.

He had just the thing.

"I know the perfect role for you."

"You do?" Kyoko asked, hoping it was something amazing like a fairytale princess or something.

"Yes. You are going to play my son."

"A boy?!"

* * *

**AN**: Don't forget to review! The next chapter should be longer and like I said, some interesting things are planned to happen.


	14. Chapter 14

**Always Be My Baby**

by Kris Black

**Summary:** After going over lines for _TDM_, Kyoko and Ren have a night of passion and the result could not only cause a scandal, but ruin both of their careers. How will the two lovers withstand the trials of their love?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any part of _Skip Beat!_ the manga or the anime. I do not own any characters listed in this story except those you don't recognize. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money is being made off of the story as a whole, or in part.

**AN**: Hello again, everyone. I know it has been forever since I updated, and I could sit here and give you excuses all night, but I am sure that you are anxious to read the chapter. Two words then: **Writers Block**. I know, happens to the best of us, lol. I tired to post this last night, but the site wouldn't let me. Anyway, please enjoy this short chapter, hopefully I can get the next one out sooner rather than later.

* * *

"Tell me about your son," Kyoko said after Kuu had finished one of his speeches.

"Didn't you listen to a word I just said?"

"I did, but every character has his/her own traits and personality. I need to know a few things about your son in order to portray him. Even the most talented actors know a little about their characters before having to create them."

Kuu had to admit, she was right. It wouldn't be fair to not even give her a little bit to work with here, after all she was an amateur. He thought back to his son, was it even possible to describe such an amazing son in only a few words?

"I'll give you one hint – he is smart," Kuu said, proud that he was able to stop talking after only this. After all, his Kuon was the most amazing boy he had ever met.

"In fact," Kuu continued on, forgetting he was only supposed to give her a little information. The thought of Kuon got him so excited that he couldn't resist describing his remarkable son to anyone who would listen. "My son is handsome, hard working, honest, adorable, dedicated, a great martial artist, he has super fast reflexes and he's elegant. He is quite literally a glittering diamond standing among rocks!"

Kyoko had pretty much stopped listening at this point. There was no possible way that his son could be all of these things. It seemed that Kuu treasured his son very much. So much, in fact, that he had begun making his speech on top of the table. He must have been the mascot for a doting parent.

Which, unfortunately reminded Kyoko of her own mother – who had been anything but doting. Her mother had been cold and uncaring. She wanted only perfection in Kyoko and when she didn't find it she seemed to hate her daughter more and more every day. Until that one fateful day when her mother finally couldn't stand looking at her anymore and abandoned her.

Kyoko still remembered how it felt. Instead of crying and feeling sorry for herself like she used to, she now grasped onto that feeling. It wasn't her fault that her mother was like that. It wasn't her fault that her mother had abandoned her. And it _certainly_ wasn't her fault when Fuwa Sho did the same thing to her after knowing everything that her own mother had put her through.

Kyoko placed her hand on her stomach. There was absolutely _no way_ in hell that someone was going to do the same thing to her child either. If no one else, she would _always_ be there for her baby.

'And Ren,' she thought unwillingly.

"And that's my son," Kuu finished is speech before jumping off of the table and sitting back in his chair. "Well, at least that was him when he was fifteen. He will forever be fifteen in my memory, but right now I should be seeing him as a twenty-year old adult."

'His child died?' Kyoko thought sadly, resisting the urge to touch her abdomen once more.

She couldn't even imagine how painful it would be to lose a child, especially one that you loved so much. Hizuri Kuu had obviously loved his son very much.

Kyoko started crying, cursing her damn hormones.

"Mogami-san?! Mogami-san, what's wrong?" Kuu asked worriedly, patting her on the back as she sobbed.

"It's... it's just so sad!" She almost-wailed and hiccupped at the end.

"Cheer up Mogami-san," Kuu hushed. "Kuon isn't gone; he is just off finding himself."

"Corn?" Kyoko asked suddenly, her head popping up instantly and tears stopping.

"Corn?" Kuu asked in response, a lot less enthusiastically.

They looked at each other for a moment, both slightly confused.

"Your son's name is Corn?" Kyoko repeated.

She didn't dare even think it. No, it wasn't possible. There was no way that Hizuri Kuu could be _her_ Corn's father – that would make him the King of the Fairies! She looked Kuu over. He was pretty for a guy, but he certainly was no fairy. There was no possible way that he was Corn's father – nope.

"Corn?" Kuu asked again. "Oh! I am so used to English inflections I guess when I say his name it does sound a little like 'Corn'."

Kuu laughed for a moment, but Kyoko couldn't see what was funny.

"If you pronounce it very Japanese, his name his Ku-O-N," Kuu explained.

Kyoko didn't know if she was happy or heartbroken.

"Have the character ready by tomorrow morning. From then on, you will be Hizuri Kuon."

* * *

The morning after next, Ren made his way towards the president's office. He had requested the meeting be there instead of somewhere more public because he was sure that no matter how he broke the news to Lory, there would be some sort of outburst. With the paparazzi still following him closely, Ren couldn't take any chances.

"Just what are making her do?" Ren asked, getting right to the point as he sat down on the couch opposite the president.

President Lory looked as if he had had a long night – more than likely with his sim video games, Ren thought darkly.

"If you are talking about Mogami-chan, I am getting her to cook meals."

"Don't act dumb with me, please. There is something more to it than that. She called me last night and was acting really weird – more so than usual. I think that the guy that you have her staying with is troubling her, but she denied it. You must have heard something from him, right?"

Lory chuckled a bit.

"She did come into the office last night and was acting kind of strange, now that you mention it. I asked her what was wrong, but she didn't seem to want to be pressed further, so I just let it be. Maybe it does have something to do with Kuu – she did say it may be work related."

"Don't say 'maybe' to me, it is so irresponsible," Ren groaned and swiped his hand through his dark locks.

"Don't be so upset Ren, I can try and find out from Kuu."

"That is just the thing, President. Please, just remove her from the situation as soon as possible."

"Why are you so serious? Is there something I should know about?"

"Actually, there is." Ren paused and took a breath. "Please don't think that we have been hiding this from you, we just found out ourselves when we were on location. And, as you know, there were a few situations then that needed to be tended to so we were distracted."

"Found out? Have you and Kyoko finally resolved the issue that happened a few months ago?"

"Well, not exactly. That it what this is about. Kyoko is pregnant."

Lory's head snapped up and looked at Ren, checking if he was serious.

"I'm sorry; I must have heard you wrong. I thought that you said that Kyoko is pregnant."

"She is."

"Kyoko? As in Mogami Kyoko?"

"Yes, she is about three months along now."

Lory pulled up his fingers, his mouth moving silently as he counted something on his fingers. He seemed to come to a solution, but recounted just to be certain. After the second round through, he stopped and looked up at Ren.

"You?" He asked, pointing towards him.

Ren nodded his head.

"I hate to admit it, but the tabloids were at least a little correct. Kyoko had come over to help me run lines for my rehearsal for Kazuki, which I was nervous about. Things got a little out of hand afterwards."

"A little out of hand?" Lory snorted. "Are you kidding? This is more than a little out of hand. How many people know about this?"

"Just Kyoko, Yashiro and I," Ren said. "Then there is you, and Kotonami-san."

"Only people in our company that is it?"

"Fuwa Sho as well."

"Fuwa Sho? What does he have to do with any of this?" Lory asked, pulling out his cell phone.

"That's what I would like to know," Ren muttered.

"This is a serious situation, Ren. We are going to have to go about all of this delicately."

"That is what I thought," Ren frowned. "Even more reason to get her away from _him_."

"Really? Because I believe that that this may cause less reason to take Mogami-chan away from Kuu."

"But Sir-"

"I am calling them now and having them both come in. We need to straighten this whole situation out before the press _really_ find out about it and have a field day. The last thing we want is for yours, or even Mogami's, reputation to be tarnished or destroyed. Your careers would be over."

"I realize that, sir."

"I believe that you do. So, I am calling them over for some damage control. Kuu, I think, is scheduling the funeral for his stage name; I believe they may actually be in the building right now. How about you go for a short break while I contact them – you probably haven't eaten yet today."

Dismissed with a wave of Lory's hand, Ren exited the office.

* * *

Yashiro met up with Ren in the lounge of LME while Ren waited to be summoned back to Lory's office. Yashiro insisted that Ren at least have a canned drink for breakfast, which Ren could not refuse. His stomach was churning nervously all the way to the vending machines while Yashiro rambled in his ear.

When the background noise of Yashiro's blathering ceased abruptly and Ren heard something heavy landing directly in front of them, his neck snapped up quickly.

There, before him, stood a replica of his ten-year-old self in the form of his child's mother.

Kyoko looked up, stunned, before regaining her composure. She straightened herself up and smirked, a glint in her eyes.

"What the-" Ren thought as Kyoko bowed to them.

"Nice to meet you," she said in English to a stunned Yashiro and Ren. "Mr. Ren Tsuruga?"

"Why was that a question?" Yashiro muttered.

"I heard that you were playing Katsuki in _Dark Moon_," Kyoko continued. "I gotta say your performance is only so-so in comparison to the other Kazuki."

"Kyoko, what the heck is wrong with you?" Yashiro panicked. "Are you ill? Did you hit your head? Are you alright?"

"What are you doing over there?" A voice rang out above them.

Yashiro jumped out of skin and turned quickly, Ren's back stiffened and he kept staring straight ahead, straight at Kyoko.

The sound of footfalls coming down the stairs made Yashiro squeal a bit.

"Ren! Ren! It's Kuu – we met Kuu! What should we do?"

"Just calm yourself," Ren said as Kuu descended the stairs, despite his own heart beating hard in his chest – for a different reason.

"You're way _too_ calm!" Yashiro exclaimed, causing Ren's head to jerk over slightly.

It was then that his eye caught Kuu's.

"Kuon," Kuu said. "We are going home."

Ren began sweating; his heart beat up impossibly faster as his mouth became dry. He opened his mouth, willing his dry-cracked lips to force out some sort of discernable sound, but failed.

Instead, Kyoko spoke up.

"Dad!"

Ren glanced quickly over to Kyoko, who was making her way up to Kuu quickly.

"Look, its Ren Tsuruga from _Dark Moon_!" She pointed.

"You shouldn't point at people," he lectured and put her hand back down.

Kuu finished walking down the stairs and walked over to Ren, extending his hand.

"It is nice to meet you, I am Hizuri Kuu," he greeted a startled Ren.

"Tsuruga Ren," he replied, shaking the actor's hand.

"It was nice meeting you, Tsuruga-san," Kuu said and smiled brightly. "But Kuon and I need to be going now."

"Actually," Ren spoke up before he was just turning. "President Lory needs to speak with you; he has been trying to call you."

"Oh, I was in an interview and my cell was turned off," he remembered and pulled the phone from his pocket, turning it back on.

"Don't worry about it." Ren waved. "He needs to speak with all of us."

"All of us?" Kuu asked.

"You, Kyoko and I," Ren said simply.

Kyoko froze up in her position behind Kuu.

"Why?"

"It's a personal matter," Ren explained and motioned the way.

"Ren, why would Hizuri Kuu need to be let in on this?" Yashiro whispered to him. "I thought that we were just waiting on Kyoko."

Ren ignored his manager and walked over to Kyoko, leaning down to look at her in the face.

"We are going to need Kyoko back for a while, Kuon," he said to her. "This is a very serious issue."

Kyoko shook her head slightly and smiled back at him, in the regular Kyoko fashion.

"You told the president?" She asked.

Ren nodded in response.

"How did he take it?"

"As well as could be expected I guess. He isn't exactly throwing a party."

"He may have if I were older, and married," Kyoko noted.

"Well, there is no point in wondering now, is there? We can't undo the past no matter how much we would like to," Ren said glumly. "You may find that out sooner than you think."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing," he smiled the demon king smile.

Kyoko flinched a bit at the terrifying smile before Ren turned and walked towards the office of the president, followed by Yashiro and Kyoko.

* * *

AN: That's all for now, folks. The next chapter we will have the confrontation between everyone, Kuu's solution, and the first ultrasound! I am hoping to move things right along after that and jumping a few months. **Please remember to review – it motivates me like nothing else**! That is the main reason for this chapter – a wonderful review kicking me in the butt!!


	15. Chapter 15

**Always Be My Baby**

by Kris Black

**Summary:** After going over lines for _TDM_, Kyoko and Ren have a night of passion and the result could not only cause a scandal, but ruin both of their careers. How will the two lovers withstand the trials of their love?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any part of _Skip Beat!_ the manga or the anime. I do not own any characters listed in this story except those you don't recognize. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money is being made off of the story as a whole, or in part.

**AN**: Just so you know, I am not going to spoil you like this every weekend – this is a present for being so patient for the last chapter. I hope you guys like cliffhangers – I certainly do.

I hope that you don't mind that nothing much gets done in this chapter. I am trying to set it up so that I can clear up everything and get rid of the nitty-gritty in one big swoop – you know, that thing called a climax lol. Well, enough of this. Wanna know more? Visit my website at: krisblack (dot) webs (dot) com.

* * *

Kyoko sat across from President Lory, her back straight and hands resting in her hands as she was taught from a young age. Lory was also sitting straight, arms folding across his chest. Ren, beside her, had his arms resting at his side, eerily calm as well. Hizuri Kuu, who was sitting across from Ren had a confused expression on his face – Kyoko thought he was probably wondering what he was doing here if it was a personal matter, Kyoko wondered at that as well.

Yashiro remained standing, just a little distance off, looking almost terrified.

The tension in the room was so thick that someone could cut it with a knife and put peanut butter on it.

"So," Kuu spoke up, finally. "What is so urgent that we all had to be called together for such a matter? Why is everyone looking so serious?"

"Kuu, I believe that there is something that Ren should tell you," Lory said simply.

"I don't think that this matter has anything to do with him, honestly," Ren spoke up.

"I don't understand. Is it because I am currently working for Hizuri-sempai that he is here?" Kyoko asked innocently.

Ren spared her a glance, remembering all that he had failed to tell her already.

"That would be a good enough reason," Lory replied. "However, there is a greater reason."

"I think that I would like to know what is going on now," Kuu spoke up, seriously.

Ren paused and looked up at Kuu, almost like it was for the first time. He then looked desperately over to Lory, who responded with a look of grim determination.\

Ren wasn't ready for this. It had only been a mere five years – only five years to himself, to his own identity.

"I thought we agreed that this would happen only when I was ready."

"Under normal situations, Ren, I would have allowed it. But I think that Kuu deserves to know what is going on now. Think about Julie."

"Julie?" Kyoko spoke up. "Who is Julie? Ren, what are you talking about?"

"Kyoko is pregnant," Ren said finally, ignoring Kyoko's last question and hoped that Kyoko would forgive him.

He had kept so much from her. Ever since he realized who she was, he had been withholding the truth from her – was that not the same as lying to her?

No. It had been for her protection then. No one needed to be burdened with his past mistakes.

And yet, here she was, about to be so. She was on the verge of knowing everything about Tsuruga Ren. Who he really was, what he was, and what he wasn't. He had always been worried that Kyoko would cut her from her existence. That, one day, she would wake up and realize what kind of person he was and leave. Now, with her carrying his child, the intensity of that concern was multiplied by a thousand.

Now, if Kyoko cut him from existence he didn't think that he would be able to survive it, as Tsuruga Ren or not.

"Pregnant?" Kuu asked. "Well, I guess that congratulations are in order. I know that you are young and inexperienced and that your own mother wasn't the best model, but I firmly believe that you will be a great mother Kyoko. After all, look at all the great people around you to support you!" He smiled. "But I still don't understand what this has to do with me."

"What I am trying to say," Ren hesitated. "Is… is that you are going to be a grandfather. That is what you wanted me to say, right President?" Ren glowered.

Yashiro's jaw, Ren saw out of his peripheral vision, looked like it detached and dropped to the floor.

President Lory sat motionless, with a small smile on his face. Kyoko furrowed her brows. Was Ren going nuts? She had only been acting the part of Kuu's son, he wasn't really her father.

"Ren, don't be ridiculous," she said nervously. "I was only acting as Kuu's son as part of character development – he isn't really my father."

Ren looked over at her for a moment, measuring her face it seemed before he replied surely.

"I never said that he was, Kyoko."

"But- what-?" Kyoko asked, confused.

"A grandfather?" Kuu asked in a slight daze, calling both Kyoko and Ren's attention back to him. "A grandfather?"

"Sempai – please don't be mistaken!" Kyoko asked hurriedly as Kuu's facial expression began to change slightly.

"I'm going to be a grandfather," he repeated more assuredly this time, ignoring Kyoko. "It is a little early, I suppose. But this is cause for celebration! I must call Julie!"

"What we need to do first, is decide what we are going to do about the situation," Lory scolded slightly.

"Who is Julie?" Kyoko asked out exasperated. It appeared as if she was the only one here who didn't know what was going on, which was making her anxious and she started tearing up.

Damn hormones.

"It's alright," Ren said after seeing the tears beginning. He turned towards her and took her hand. "You must be confused now, and I am sorry. Do you remember our fight when you found out that Tsuruga Ren was only my stage name?"

"Yes," Kyoko remembered, she had said rather mean things at the time.

"And you remember how I told you that Tsuruga Ren was the only man that I wanted you to know?"

"Yes," she replied, resenting the fact.

"Well, now I think it is time to tell you who I used to be. My real name, Kyoko, is Hizuri Kuon."

"Kuon?" She whispered. Her eyes widened as she turned her head towards Kuu.

"Hizuri Kuu is my father," Ren continued. "As you know from your character building, I was raised in America. I came here when I was fifteen under a stage name to make my own in the entertainment business without being compared to my father."

"That is why you pretended not to know each other?" She whispered.

Kuu nodded.

"Kuon has decided that he will not resume his old life until he has made something of himself, until he has established his career without any influence from mine."

Kyoko nodded. She understood. Ren – Kuon – was just like Corn. In America he must have been stuck under his father, unable to move because his father was so large he could not see passed him.

"You are the first person I have told," Ren confessed. "You and now Yashiro-san as well are the only people in Japan who know my real identity besides for the President."

Kyoko nodded, looking down at her hands. There was so much about Ren that she didn't know – did it matter?

"Kyoko?" Ren asked as her silence continued.

"Could you excuse me for a moment?" She asked quietly, still looking at her hands.

"Of course," President Lory answered. "Take your time; I know this is a lot to take in."

Kyoko nodded again before standing and heading out the door. She needed to digest this, she needed fresh air, and she needed to be by herself for a moment.

Once Kyoko stepped out of the room, Kuu began again:

"A grandbaby! How exciting, what should I do? So much to buy and do! I don't think I have felt this much joy since Julie was pregnant! Shame on you, Kuon, for getting such a young girl involved," Kuu added as an after thought of good parenting before continuing: "Oh, what should I buy first?"

"Just behave yourself," Ren said calmly, but Kuu recognized the anger hidden behind his voice. "Do your movie promotion and immediately go home."

"But I need to see my grand-"

"No." Ren cut him off. "Absolutely not."

"Why not?" Kuu asked disgruntled.

"Why did you get Kyoko to act out 'Kuon'? How much did you tell her for her to be able to replicate the ten-year-old Kuon so closely? I understand that you loved your son with all of your heart. So, rather than the rough and wild, jaded and no longer loveable son who despised this world, I understand why you would want her to act out the son that was loveable and cute. However-"

Kuu cut Ren off with a hard slap directly to his forehead.

"_Loved_? I still _now_ love my son with my whole heart, even if to other people he has become jaded, rough, and wild and looks down on the world. He cannot be replaced."

"Somehow, this feels as if we are talking like Kuon isn't actually here," Lory remarked.

"That's because he isn't," Kuu said. "This is Tsuruga Ren. The character that he works so hard to perfect and persistently keeps it up, so I shouldn't forget to behave as if we are strangers.

As for asking her to act out Kuon, I was merely giving her a theme to create a character. She needs to learn how to act out characters that are already on her list of people in which to act."

Ren thought for a minute. The only people that Kyoko wished to act were a rich young lady, which she found in Mio, a princess, a fairy and a prince. Could she really get over her dreams of only acting those parts?

"Once she can get into the role as she pleases, the role will start running. Because she is a scary type of actor, the same as you," Kuu said darkly, looking at his son.

* * *

Kyoko walked aimlessly down the hallways at LME, the rock lodged in her throat, by her hormonal emotions, refusing to go away. She wiped the tears falling from her eyes before they fell down her cheek, betraying her. She should feel happy that the big secret that Ren was keeping from her was out, that he had finally told her and only her (besides for Yashiro). She didn't know why she was so upset. She had known that "Tsuruga Ren" was merely a stage name. Still, despite that, she couldn't stop herself from crying.

Deciding that it was probably time for her to stop walking around this emotionally unbalanced, she moved to the nearby bench and sat on it, resting her face in her hands. Her crying began to become uncontrolled and she moved on hand over her mouth to keep the sobbing noises from escaping her racking body. She ignored the tears running down her now-drenched face.

A white handkerchief suddenly appearing in front of her face startled her. She hadn't thought that there was anyone in this part of the building right now. She took the handkerchief from the proffered hand and gently wiped her tears off of her face with it.

"Better now?" A sickeningly familiar voice asked to her right.

Kyoko's blotched eyes widened slightly as she turned slowly to view the perpetrator of the voice. There, directly in front of her with a worried look splattered across his horrible face was _Fuwa Sho_.

Her demons came out with more force than usual. Here he was, standing in front of her while she was just crying like a baby.

"What are _you_ doing here?" She growled at him, throwing the handkerchief he had passed her back as if it was disease ridden. He caught it easily.

"I am here discussing my next music video with the talent company. The last one went so well, my company wanted to try LME _talent_ one more time," Sho scowled.

"At least someone can recognize talent," she shot back. "It's a shame that they flopped up on you."

"They would beg to differ, I think," he said, sitting down beside her. She scooted as far away from him as the bench would allow.

"I am surprised that they are still letting you work now, though," Sho said, glancing at her. "You are beginning to show, I would have thought that LME would have kicked you out to the curb by now. Too bad, you may have had potential there for a while."

Kyoko shot him the look of death, her demons began to swarm.

"I still have potential; in fact, I just finished a job."

"Oh really, and is that why you were just sitting her crying like there was no tomorrow? Because it was your last job?"

"No, why I was crying is none of your business," Kyoko said with finality. "I have no connection with you any longer. Besides, it was only hormones to begin with."

She stood quickly and began to walk away. Sho shot up and grabbed her by the arm, turning her around back towards him.

"Not connected to me?" Sho asked incredulously and laughed. "I am willing to bet that I am all that you think about before you go to bed at night."

"What I think about before I go to bed is none of your concern," she snarled back at him. "But believe me, you are the last thing on my mind. I have more important things to do with my life now than exact some petty revenge on you. Get over yourself, Shotaro."

"Why is that? Because you are about to be a mother now?" He shot back, obviously hurt. "You wouldn't know the first thing about being a mother – didn't yours abandon you?"

The hurt that crossed Kyoko's face was undeniable. So much so, that Sho released her arm.

"Kyoko- Kyoko, I am sorry, I didn't mean that," he said softly when she looked away, obviously crying again. "You're mother has nothing to do with you any longer – you are nothing like her."

Kyoko shook her head – he didn't know that. She could turn out to be just like her mother.

He just stood there, staring at her blankly. He never knew how to deal with Kyoko crying – even when they were little. That is why she had always gone to that stream to cry, so that she would not be a burden to Shotaro.

But this time, he pulled her close to him, holding her tightly. She struggled against it for a few minutes but he didn't relent. She gave in and broke back down into sobs. Why was she crying like this today?

"Kyoko?" Ren's voice called from behind her.

Kyoko pulled out of Sho's arms like he was on fire and turned to face Ren, her face still blotched from the crying.

Ren took three long strides towards them, grabbing Kyoko gently by her wrist and pulling her over to himself. He shot a dangerous look over at Sho.

"We were beginning to wonder if something had happened to you," he explained, ignoring Sho briefly.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to worry anyone." Her voice was hoarse from crying.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

She smiled back and him and nodded gently. "Just hormones, I think."

Ren nodded and smiled back at her, glancing down at her stomach.

"Why don't you head back to the president's office?" Ren suggested. "I think that Hizuri-san ordered food for you."

Kyoko glanced over to Sho and then back to Ren. Although she was hungry, she knew that it probably wasn't a good idea to leave these two together alone.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. You can go," Sho said smugly.

"I wasn't worried about _you_," she spat back.

"Nothing is going to happen, I just have to talk to him," Ren assured.

She looked back to Ren and then at Sho again and back once more.

Ren was a man of his word. If he said that they were just going to talk, then she was sure that that would be all they would be doing; although, the words didn't look like they were going to be pleasant.

"If you aren't back in fifteen minutes I am coming back down here to get you," she warned.

"You don't need to worry about me," he smiled. "I am sure that Hizuri-san will keep you so busy you won't even notice the time go by."

She was sure that Kuu was going to be fawning over her, but that didn't mean that she wouldn't be worrying about Ren with each second that passed.

"Fifteen minutes," she said again before turning and leaving.

It was best that they both said what they needed to say to each other. It was bound to happen with the way they spoke of each other, better to get everything out before things escalated into something more.

Kyoko thought back to the way Ren and Sho were glaring at each other when she had left.

Maybe she would give him ten minutes instead – they would both be able to survive a fatal wound for that long, right?

* * *

**AN:** That's the end of that chapter. Look forward to the next chapter where things actually get solved! Please remember to review extra hard for me because I posted this so early I missed out on some from the previous chapter! **Remember – review = kick in the butt for Kris to get moving.**


	16. Chapter 16

Always Be My Baby

by Kris Black

**Summary:** After going over lines for _TDM_, Kyoko and Ren have a night of passion and the result could not only cause a scandal, but ruin both of their careers. How will the two lovers withstand the trials of their love?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any part of _Skip Beat!_ the manga or the anime. I do not own any characters listed in this story except those you don't recognize. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money is being made off of the story as a whole, or in part.

**AN**: Well, I finally trudged through this. Big plans for the next two to three chapters. Gotta love Paparazzi, right? There's your hint.

Wanna know more? Visit my website at: krisblack (dot) webs (dot) com.

* * *

Kyoko made her way back to the president's office, counting each second that ticked by. _One-one thousand, two-one thousand_. Sixty seconds in a minute. Ren had eight minutes left.

Ren, of course, had been right. When Kuu opened the door for her there was already enough food lying on the coffee table in the president's office to feed a small army. He quickly ushered her to sit down and motioned towards the table.

"Please, eat!" He said excitedly. "You must be so hungry; I should have taken better care of you!"

"I-it's alright," Kyoko bowed slightly. "You didn't know."

"By the way, where is Tsuruga-san?" Kuu asked lightly.

Kyoko still found it odd that Ren and Kuu referred to each other as 'Tsuruga-san" and "Hizuri-san" even in private – she could only guess that it kept them in the habit so they didn't mess up in public and let it slip that Ren is really Hizuri Kuon. But, she didn't really have first-hand knowledge of how children and parents are supposed to interact.

"He met someone he knew and said that he needed to speak with them. He should be returning in about five and a half minutes," she replied. '_Or at least he better be.' _She thought.

"So, he sent you to the wolves by yourself," Kuu tsked. "I thought I taught him better."

He finished with a teasing laugh while Kyoko denied anything of the sort.

In fact, she thought, he had saved her from the wolf. And now, he and Sho were secluded in a low-traffic part of the building with only each other for company. She shuddered, wondering why she had decided to leave them there without supervision in the first place.

_Four minutes left_.

* * *

"Stay away from Kyoko."

"Perhaps I should be the one saying that to you," Sho replied with a slow drawl. "After all, it is my family who raised her. She was raised from a young age to be my wife. My mother even trained her to be the mistress of the family business. She ran away to Tokyo with me. In anyone else's point of view, you would be the one interfering here, wouldn't you?"

"You have done nothing for her except use her as a means to an end. You brought her along with you so that she could work harder than she should have had to pay your rent, cook your meals and encourage you. You didn't appreciate her. You left her broken because of your selfishness and vanity. And now, now that she has finally pulled herself together and could be happy, you show up and try to worm your way back into her life as if you were never gone. It isn't going to work. She hates you for everything you did to her."

"It sounds like you are trying to convince yourself of that more than you are me, Tsuruga-san," Sho scoffed. "She and I have a lot of history together. She can't just forget all that."

Ren's face changed in a way that Sho never thought possible. His eyes narrowed and his whole face became angry as he glowered at him. Everything about him changed, even his posture was different – in a mere second, Tsuruga Ren turned into an alternate person.

"Listen to me Fuwa Sho," Ren said lowly as he stepped closer to him, a dangerous aura coming off of him. "She is carrying my child. She doesn't want anything more to do with you. You would do well to leave her alone from here on out, that is your last warning."

"Are you threatening me? Because you should know who knew she was pregnant first, and it wasn't you."

"By some strange coincidences, you have been thrust into her life repeatedly and against her will. I am not going to put up with it any longer."

"Or what?"

"Excuse me?"

"What if I refuse? What if I keep coming around Kyoko? You aren't the boss of her, and you certainly aren't the boss of me. You can't stop us from interacting with each other."

"I will ruin you in every way I possibly can. Your career, your finances, your image, your reputation – you will have no other choice to crawl back to your parents and beg for the family business."

"Tsuruga Ren wouldn't do something like that," Sho laughed. "Your image is squeaky clean besides for that little one-night stand you had with Kyoko."

"This isn't Tsuruga Ren you are talking to and that was far from 'a one night stand' as you call it," he said darkly. "This is a side that you will wish you never met. You ever come near Kyoko or my child and you will regret it do you understand?"

Sho opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by Kyoko's voice as she walked into the hall.

"Ren? I finally managed to escape Hizuri-sempai for a few moments to come and fetch you." She said tentatively. "Are you finished?"

The change in Tsuruga Ren was almost instantaneous, Sho noted. His whole demeanour changed back into the cool, calm Tsuruga Ren.

"We're done here," he said, glaring at Sho, in response to Kyoko's question.

"Is everything alright?" She asked, looking back and forth between the two.

"Yes, I think that we have come to an understanding now," Ren said to her, grabbing her hand gently. "We should get back before the president and Hizuri-san think that we are intentionally avoiding them."

Kyoko nodded, glancing back at an ashen-faced Sho before following Ren.

* * *

"I believe that I have come to a decision about your situation," Kuu said. "I have spoken to Julie about it as well and she agrees. You two are to be married as soon as possible."

"You can't possibly be serious," Ren said, his face frozen in a mask of calm, but the Demon King antenna on Kyoko's head began sounding off.

She wondered if it would be feeding the flames if she moved away from him a tiny bit. Looking at the small couch that they were sitting on across from Hizuri-sempai and President Lori, it probably wouldn't do any good anyway.

"In America I know that this kind of thing happens all the time, but it is frowned upon. Here in Japan, this is life breaking. In order to keep the baby and for both of you to keep your careers the only solution is marriage."

"I-I am too young to be married," Kyoko said softly, squeezing her hands together tightly. This was the last thing in the world that she wanted – to trap Ren in an unwanted marriage.

"Seventeen is hardly too young," the President said. "In older times in was considered the norm."

"We are in the twenty-first century now, President," Ren said. "There must be some other way besides for a shot-gun wedding."

"If you two do not get married, I will have no choice but to let one or both of you go from the company," President Lori said. "If news of any of this mess leaks to the media, things will get bad fast."

"And forcing a seventeen year old to marry won't be bad?"

"We aren't forcing her to do anything," Kuu sighed. "I just think that it would be for the best. Your child will have both parents together to raise him or her, you will at least be able to salvage your careers and Kyoko won't have to worry about supporting herself or the child."

"Even without marrying me, she wouldn't have to worry about that. I won't just abandon her."

"And adding her to the family registry is just the way to ensure that," Kuu said.

"Marriage is the only way?" Kyoko asked. "Don't be ridiculous. I can't possibly marry Ren-"

"And why not? Did you two not think of the repercussions about what happened that night? You are both must care about each other at least a little. Marriage is built upon mutual trust and respect, which I know you both hold for each other. Are there other prospects, hm? Would it be so bad to be together for the child that you created?" Kuu lectured.

"Even if I agreed to it, it would be impossible," Kyoko argued. "I won't be eighteen until next year. In order for me to be married, I would have to have consent from my mother."

Kuu looked at Ren and back to Kyoko. He remembered that Kyoko had said that her mother had abandoned her at a young age.

"Then I will find your mother and convince her to allow you to marry." He said simply.

"E-excuse me?" Kyoko stuttered.

No way would he be able to find her mother, she thought. That woman never cared for her and abandoned her as soon as she could. She didn't want her life to have anything to do with someone so selfish that they put their own needs before their own child.

She paused.

She wasn't doing that right now, was she? Would it be best if she married Ren so that their child could be together with his or her father all the time? She didn't think that she could ever love someone ever again in her life – she didn't want Ren to have to live in a loveless marriage for the rest of his life just because the emotion no longer had any meaning for herself.

"If I find your mother and she agrees to it, will you marry him?"

"By the look on your face, I can tell that you think that it may be impossible for me to track down your wayward mother. I would like to make a wager. If I find her and get her to agree to this marriage, you will marry Tsuruga-san."

Kyoko looked at Kuu. He was an actor and he had lived in America for a long while – surely he wouldn't be able to find her mother. What were the chances?

"I do not appreciate you wagering on the rest of my life," Ren practically growled. "You have no right to just barge in and dictate what I will and will not do."

"Perhaps if I had done this sooner, this would not have happened," Kuu sighed.

"Somehow, I remember that same phrase from you five years ago," Ren said calmly, but the demon king was out full force.

Kuu flinched as if Ren had actually hit him with his words. Kyoko looked over to him as his dangerous aura filled the room. Her demons came out, swarming around him like he was the charger to their batteries.

"Kuon, I-" He began put that just made Ren angrier and he stood up.

"We are done here," he said. "I was giving you the benefit of the doubt, but no longer."

The waves that were flying off of him would be enough to make a grown man cry. He stood up and took Kyoko's hand, helping her up off the couch and moving to leave the room.

"I'll do it," she said right before Ren began to pull her out of the room, causing him to falter slightly.

"What?" Ren asked.

"If you can find my mother, find her and get her consent, I will marry Ren," she said to Kuu. "She has been gone for ten years; I am probably the last person she wants to remember."

"Excellent. I feel that this is the best choice for everyone, Mogami-chan," Kuu said lightly, causing Ren to glower.

"Well, we are leaving first," he said to his seniors and Yashiro, pulling Kyoko gently out the door behind him.

The demon king was out full force and there was no way Kyoko was going to say anything to make him turn around and show her the terrifyingly calm expression masking his face. Her demons were swarming more than she had ever seen in their entire life and she knew that Ren was the angriest she had ever seen him. He kept her hand held tightly in his own while they walked down the hallway of L.M.E together. She wanted to ask where they were headed, but instead she held her tongue.

There was no way in hell that she was going to ask the demon king anything.

She found out soon enough when they went to the underground parking and began walking to his car.

"I am taking you home," he said.

"But, I haven't been released from working for Hizuri-sempai," she argued.

Ren stopped and turned around, smiling that sickeningly fake gentlemanly smile that made most girls swarm. It had the opposite effect on Kyoko – she knew what was really behind there. The demon king was out full force.

"He must really be amazing," he said, still smiling. "That you still want to go and work for him even after he is trying to force you into marriage."

"I-it isn't like that," Kyoko replied. "He is just trying to look out for you – for us. He thinks that this is the best way-"

"You didn't seem to think so when I proposed last month," Ren cut her off.

Kyoko looked down at her hands. She did refuse to marry him last month; he had tried to do the same thing that his father thought to do. Did she seem fickle now that she agreed if Hizuri-sempai found her mother?

"He isn't going to find her," Kyoko almost whispered. "She disappeared off the face of the planet."

"That is where you are wrong. No one has the ability to do that. Furthermore, once Hizuri Kuu puts his mind to something, he will use all of his resources to complete it. He may find your mother sooner than you think."

"I was instructed to take care of Hizuri-sempai until he leave Japan though," she responded, more determined now. Regardless of the situation, she never left a job incomplete.

Ren sighed, frustrated. He ran a hand through his dark hair for a minute, taking a deep breath.

"How about this – I take you back to the daruma for tonight. You have your first appointment tomorrow, right?"

Kyoko nodded. "At eleven o'clock."

"I have a photo shoot then, I won't be able to make it," he replied, sounding genuinely sorry. "But how about I get Hizuri-san to attend with you instead? I am sure he would enjoy it. After that, you can go back and complete your job with him. Just take a break for the rest of today and rest well tonight."

"Will that really be okay?"

"Of course it will. No one will argue about you taking a short break. In fact, it may be encouraged."

He opened the passenger door of his car and Kyoko slid in before he jumped into the driver's side.

* * *

When Ren returned from dropping off Kyoko, he was furious – to say the least. How dare Hizuri Kuu waltz back into his life and think that he suddenly had a right to have a say in it again. He was Tsuruga Ren now – not some fifteen year-old that had to be punished for sneaking out again.

He marched straight through the hallways of LME to the President's office. He had only been gone twenty minutes and was sure that both men were still in there. There was a good chance that Yashiro had already fled.

He knocked on the door sharply, twice. When the President's voice allowed entrance, he let himself in.

Sure enough, President Lori still sat on the sofa he had been in before. Hizuri Kuu had moved to the chair beside them. They were both drinking tea.

Ren marched right over to them, his face set.

"Where is Mogami-chan?" Kuu asked.

"I have sent her home for the night. The last thing she needs is more stress from the likes of you."

"If I had known about the situation before hand I would have been more careful with her," Kuu argued.

"She was on a job, Ren," President Lori lectured. "Who will take care of Kuu now?"

"He can take care of himself, I am sure," Ren growled. "But she said the same thing. Her work ethic is second to none. I told her to take a rest for tonight and she could start again tomorrow."

"That is a good idea," Kuu commended. "She needn't work herself to death, the poor dear."

"I told her that you would pick her up tomorrow. She has her first appointment and I told her you would be there, because my schedule won't allow it."

Kuu looked shocked at first, as if that was the last thing on Earth that he expected Ren to say. His face then softened a bit.

"Thank you. That would mean so much to me."

"I didn't do it for you," Ren said. "Take a picture and give it to your wife when you return to America – soon."

"I can't return yet," Kuu sighed. "I miss Julie, but she would kill me and never talk to me again if I returned without making sure that you, and now Kyoko, we alright."

"How is she?"

"Who?"

"My mother, how is she?"

"She said that she only has three months left to live."

Ren faltered for a moment, before taking a breath.

"That sounds so realistic this time, I almost believed it."

"I know, it is usually a minute, an hour, a day, two days," Kuu sighed again. "She misses you more than anything. She wouldn't even talk to me for half a year after you left. She is angry that she didn't get to say goodbye and only gets a letter or a picture now once in a while. She claims that you are worrying her to death."

Ren hung his head slightly. He did miss his mother, but he hadn't attained his goal yet and he promised himself he wouldn't return to his parents until he did.

"And now with this pregnancy issue," Kuu continued, "she is even more insistent that she speak with you. She said that she wanted to get on the next plane to Japan when I told her, but I had to talk her out of it because she is filming right now."

"I am sorry, I can't see her yet."

"I know, and she knows. She is just worried about you, that's all. Maybe you could do something for her to ease her mind a little, or at least stop her from coming all the way to Japan and hauling you back home by the ear."

Ren looked up at his father.

"She wants her Kuon back, not Tsuruga Ren who she sees on the television and in movies. Maybe you could make a video or something-"

"I'll do it."

"What?"

"If you leave Kyoko and me alone, if you return to America as soon as possible, then I will do this one thing. I will do it for my mother."

"She insists that I return with baby pictures and wedding pictures-"

"You can get a baby picture from the ultrasound tomorrow," Ren said. "And this marriage issue is not up for discussion."

"Ah, but the pretty lady will marry you if I can find her mother."

Ren glared at him intensely.

"Regardless, Kuon, thank you for doing this for us," Kuu said briefly, smiling at his son.

"I'll call your stylist back from Hawaii," President Lory finally spoke up, pulling out his cell phone.

* * *

AN: So, that is it guys. Not really a cliffhanger this time, I guess. Hopefully, I can get the next chapter up as soon as possible!

**Reviews are better than a whole pack of red cinnamon hearts!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Always Be My Baby**

by Kris Black

**Summary:** After going over lines for _TDM_, Kyoko and Ren have a night of passion and the result could not only cause a scandal, but ruin both of their careers. How will the two lovers withstand the trials of their love?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any part of _Skip Beat!_ the manga or the anime. I do not own any characters listed in this story except those you don't recognize. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money is being made off of the story as a whole, or in part.

**AN**: Yup, it has been a LONG time coming, and I appologize. I could make excuses (wedding planning) about why I haven't updated (married in 23 days!), but I won't. Let's just say I am sorry and I hope you forgive me. EXPLOSIVE chapter this chapter by the end. The next 2, maybe 3 or 4 chapters and this story might actually be completed. Imagine that, me updating enough to complete it? (AGAIN I am so SORRY).

You guys should thank the people who visited my website and commented/shout boxed. I hadn't had a review in so long (and I was writing an original story) that when I checked my website they really kicked my butt into gear.

If you want to visit my website, the link is in my profile or you can just type it out: krisblack (dot) webs (dot) com.

* * *

Kyoko woke early the next morning. She was nervous about the ultrasound and check up that she was going to have today. Knowing that there was a baby coming was one thing, seeing it on a screen would only solidify that she was, indeed, bringing a child into this word. A combination of her and Ren.

_Or should she call him Kuon now?_

There were so many questions left unanswered. Yesterday she had had enough information, she thought, to process for months. Now, only the morning after Ren's revelation, she found that she _needed_ more answers.

But that wasn't going to happen today. She had her appointment in a few hours where she would meet Hizuri Kuu, _Ren's father_. It was hard to imagine, but easy to see when they were together. Ren looked so much like his father (besides for the hair color. Was black even Ren's natural hair color?), that it was hard to imagine now that she had not noticed the similarities between the two.

Besides, she wasn't going to bother Ren while he was working.

Instead, she dressed and ate breakfast before catching the bus to the clinic she had been referred to. It was one of the best in the city, which wasn't unexpected considering she had been at a resort when she had received her referral here. It was comforting to know that her care was left in such capable hands, but daunting to think about how radical the bill may be afterwards.

Hizuri Kuu was waiting in the lounge area when she entered, calmly reading a magazine for grandparents through his sunglasses. He had a hat covering his head.

She supposed when you were as famous as Hizuri Kuu, you needed a disguise to be anywhere in public. Despite how popular _Dark Moon_ was getting, people scarcely recognized her in the street. Mio had a different hairstyle and hair cut, she wore different clothes. Normal people usually didn't match the two of them up.

Kuu looked up and smiled at her, a bright smile that almost blinded her. He patted the seat beside him. She sat down and folded her hands in her lap, determined not to look as nervous as she was.

"I already signed you in. I hope that you had a restful day off," Kuu said, looking at her.

She nodded. She had. She went home and cried herself to sleep almost instantly.

"I am sure that you have a lot of questions still that you want answered," he sighed. "I just wish Ren wasn't so busy all the time. He should be spending more time with you."

"I understand," Kyoko replied. "I am alright. Ren loves working and loves what he does. It would be selfish to expect him to put anything on hold. He is an amazing actor."

Kuu just smiled and flipped the page of his magazine.

When the nurse called her name, Kyoko stood and followed her. Kuu followed behind her, discarding the magazine on the small coffee table.

The nurse checked her vitals and took some blood while they waited for the doctor.

When the doctor came in she gave Kyoko some basic instructions before starting the ultrasound. She told her to try and eat healthy and organic as much as possible, to not do any heavy lifting and other things that Kyoko had already read in pamphlets. She also had more multi-vitamins prescribed.

When the doctor put the cold jelly on her stomach, Kyoko jumped a little. The doctor apologized, smiling, before looking at the screen as the paddle searched Kyoko's belly.

"It is always nice to see the father," the doctor said, glancing at Kuu.

"Oh, I am not the father," he laughed, waving his hand a bit. "I am the grandfather. This is my son's wife."

Kyoko opened her mouth to protest. No one said she was marrying anyone yet, and she certainly wasn't already married!

"There it is," the doctor said, cutting her off. "There is your baby."

Kyoko looked at the screen, the clear image of a baby-shape. The doctor pointed to all the pieces, showing her exactly what was what on the screen. The doctor explained that it was a 3D imagining machine, which made everything clearer and that was why it wasn't black and white like she had expected.

"It appears as though you are about fifteen weeks, based on the development of the baby."

Kyoko couldn't even manage to nod. She was stunned. There, on the screen, was her baby. Its heartbeat echoed through the room, it squirmed a little. It looked a bit like an alien at this point, but it was the most beautiful alien she had ever seen in her life. The doctor was still clicking buttons and moving the pad, but she didn't notice. Her eyes were fixed on the screen.

_I wish Ren were here._

Almost as instantly as the thought had jumped into her head, she pushed it out. Ren had work to do. There would be other ultrasounds he could attend. He had sent his father instead, which showed that he cared.

But seeing the picture of her baby for the first time was the most magical moment of her life thus far.

"The baby just shifted. Would you like to know the gender?"

Did she? Did it matter what gender the baby was? No, it didn't. Regardless, it was hers.

But would Ren want to know? She didn't know the answer to that. They hadn't even discussed things between them, let along the gender of their baby or any names.

Regardless, she nodded her head. Perhaps one less surprise in this chaos would be comforting.

"Congratulations, you are having a girl."

Kyoko couldn't do anything other than nod.

"Julie is going to be thrilled! She always wanted a girl!" Kuu said, clapping his hands.

The doctor smiled and turned off the machine, removing the paddle from Kyoko's belly. She told her that the baby looked perfectly healthy and gave her instructions to the bathroom to wipe off the jelly.

"Are you ready to get back to work?" asked Kuu when she finished.

"I am. I am sorry if taking yesterday off inconvenienced you in anyway."

"Nonsense, you need to take care of yourself and the little princess."

When they began to walk passed the administration desk, Kyoko stopped.

"Wait, I have to pay for the bill…"

"It has been taken care of," he turned to look at her.

"No. No, let me pay you back! It isn't necessary, I-"

"I wanted to. And if I didn't, Julie would have sent me right back here from America to do it. Besides, I got us all copies of the pictures." He tapped a manila folder under his arm.

"Pictures?" She didn't realize that you could have pictures. Were they of the baby, or her sitting on a chair with her belly exposed?

"They are more like screenshots. The doctor took what was on the screen and printed some off for us."

"Can… can I see one?" Kyoko asked nervously, looking at the folder.

Kuu smiled at her again, passing her the envelope and leading her to the door. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and guided her out to his car while she examined the pictures.

"Regardless of who your mother is, Kyoko-chan, you are going to be a good one," he reassured her when they got into the car.

She buckled up, tucking the pictures safely away.

"How can you be so sure?"

Kuu pulled away from the curb, making his way to LME – he had promotional business today at the company.

"Because you already love your daughter," he said warmly.

She smiled and put her hand gently on her stomach.

Kyoko and Kuu were having supper in the LME cafeteria. The promotional business has run a little late and Kuu still had a photo shoot to do.

"You do realize that I have tried to send you home three times already, right?" He asked, sipping his coffee while she chewed on her salad.

"But sempai, if I don't work, what will I do? I am not dying…"

He sighed and sat his cup down.

"You and Tsuruga-san are a lot alike. Both workaholics, both talented beyond belief…"

"I respect Tsuruga-san more than anyone else on this Earth."

Kuu's eyebrows shot up, furrowing the top of his forehead. That was the closest thing to a proclamation of love he would probably ever hear Kyoko say.

"Regarding that issue - I think that I would like to see you two married before I leave Japan."

Kyoko dropped her fork and looked up at him.

"But-"

"I am fast on the trail of your flighty mother," he explained. "I believe that I could find her whereabouts in as little as two days. The moment that I find her, I am flying to her location to get her to approve of this marriage."

Kyoko closed her open mouth and took a deep breath. That was impossible. She was certain that that woman had dropped off the planet.

Ren was already furious that she had wagered on her mother, now it appears as if she may lose.

She really needed to talk to Ren.

She held her open cell phone in her hands. It glowed brightly in her darkened room. Highlighted was the name "Tsuruga Ren" and her thumb hovered over the green send button.

She didn't know why she was hesitating. But the butterflies in her stomach wouldn't stop moving around and multiplying. She looked over to the picture from the ultrasound she had had framed and was now laying on her bedside table.

Her phone began ringing, startling her enough to jump. She looked down at the caller ID. Blocked. She pressed the green button this time.

"Hello."

"I am sorry I am calling so late; I just finished work."

Kyoko glanced at her alarm clock. It was already ten o'clock. Ren must be exhausted after working this late.

"I understand. You must be tired after working so long. Did you eat properly?"

He chuckled a bit at the other end and said something almost non-coherent.

"You should at least have a sandwich," she admonished.

"I will make one as soon as we hang up the phone," Ren promised. "How did the appointment go? Did Hizuri-san behave himself?"

"We are both completely healthy. Hizuri-sempai got pictures. Have you received yours yet?"

"No, but he will ensure that I receive it, no doubt."

There was a bit of a pause. Kyoko took a deep breath.

"The doctor told me the gender. Do you want to know?"

There was another pause and Kyoko glanced again at the picture of their unborn daughter out of nervousness.

Ren thought about it for a moment. Did he want to know the sex of the baby? That would make this whole surreal situation feel more real somehow. He couldn't decide. But he did know one way or the other, that he would rather have Kyoko tell him in person. He disliked having serious conversations on the phone.

"I would rather you tell me face to face. When is Hizuri Kuu leaving Japan? It must be soon."

She looked down at her hands, although he couldn't see her.

"He said he would leave right after we are married."

There was a momentary pause. Kyoko twitched, hoping that the voice of the demon lord would not be the next one she heard. Her radar wasn't useful through the telephone!

"He found your mother?" The voice of normal Ren asked.

"No, but he said he is close. " Her eyes welled. "I am _so_ sorry Ren! I thought that she would be impossible to find! I don't want to force you into anything… I am going to call Hizuri-sempai and tell him that regardless, this just isn't possible!"

"Kyoko," he stopped her. "I think we need to talk. In person."

Kyoko hesitated, stiffening up. What did that mean? Whenever you heard that phrase in a movie it always signaled something bad was about to happen. Was he so upset with her that he wanted to chastise her in person?

"Are you going to bed or do you think you can stay up a little longer?"

"You want to talk tonight?" She asked, getting more terrified by the moment. Was he going to break up with her?

She remembered the dream she had had before Ren knew about the pregnancy – the one where he told her that they would have to be together in order to be broken up. She gulped.

"I-I was planning on staying awake for a while longer," she said. "Hizuri-sempai has a limited schedule tomorrow, so I can sleep in for a little bit."

"Would you mind if I came and picked you up?" He asked. "You can stay over here if it gets too late."

She thought about the last time she had stayed over at his apartment. Not the being together part, that wasn't worrisome anymore, but the paparazzi who had managed to take pictures.

"Are you sure that is a good idea?" She asked.

"I wouldn't make you do anything you wouldn't want to do," he replied in a low voice.

"That's not it," Kyoko replied, he had taken what she meant differently. "I meant I was worried about the paparazzi being there and it causing trouble for the company. I trust you with my life, Ren."

Ren winced. The fact that she trusted him so much was a relief, but at the same time it hurt him. He didn't deserve that trust. He didn't deserve any sort of love, and yet here he was in a relationship (no matter how strange and unconventional) and about to have a child. In what universe did he deserve this after all that he had done?

He needed to come clean. Before either of them went any further, without any outside influences, they needed to be honest and decide what their futures held.

He wasn't going to allow Hizuri Kuu to force either of them into something Kyoko didn't want – not after she learned the truth about Tsuruga Ren… the truth about Hizuri Kuon.

"I will be careful, I promise. I will even park the car in the underground garage this time. Wear your sunglasses and a hat just in case. I will be there in a little while, alright?"

"Okay, I will see you then."

When the line went dead, Kyoko dropped the phone beside her haphazardly. This was it, she had finally pushed Tsuruga Ren too far and he was never going to forgive her.

Ren had pulled up to the curb in front of the daruma in what seemed like milliseconds as Kyoko was counting down to her ultimate demise. She put on a black baseball cap and a set of sunglasses before grabbing her overnight bag and heading towards the car.

Ren didn't get out to open her door, and for that she was grateful. It put off when she would see the demon king and it was less likely that any photographers lurking around would be able to get a good shot in.

She slid into the car and buckled her seatbelt, resting the small bag she had on her lap.

She glanced over to Ren who smiled down at her. Not that creepy smile that she knew would release the demon king, the one that was so bright it made you blind. She tried to smile back at him, but with how miserable she felt, she knew that it was probably a failed attempt. He chuckled and touched her hand before pulling away from the curb and towards his apartment.

Kyoko watched as the city lights clashed by, lightening and darkening the car over and over. The car was silent save for the low humming of the radio in the background. Anything that they needed to say could wait until they got to the apartment.

When they went underground to park, the city lights disappeared to be replaced by the florescent bulbs in the ceiling. This time, Ren got out of the car and opened the door for her, taking her bag in the process. He was also wearing a cap and sunglasses.

He took her hand and led her to the elevator. He twisted his key in the keyhole, allowing the doors to open, before they both got in and he hit the button to his floor. He had let go of her hand, leaving her to nervously twitch them in front of her.

His apartment was just as she had remembered it from the few months before when she had been there, initially running lines and eventually conceiving.

Ren took her bag and depositing it in what she knew was his room.

"I will sleep on the couch tonight," he said when he came out to ease any worries she might have.

"Oh, no! I couldn't take your bed. Please, just let me sleep on the couch." She didn't want Ren to have a bad sleep; he had to go to work tomorrow.

"No, you are pregnant. It is better that you have the bed. Don't worry about it; I will rest easier knowing that you are comfortable."

She blushed in embarrassment.

"We better sit down, I think we have a lot to talk about and it is finally time we did it."

She nodded. They had been putting a lot of it off. It seemed that no matter where they were they were always being interrupted by something or someone. She sat down on the sofa and Ren sat across beside her. He pulled out his cell phone and turned it off this time. She frowned; knowing there was no saving her this time, and did the same.

"Kyoko, I have a lot I need to tell you."

She nodded, holding back tears. Damn hormones. She was prepared for the worst.

"This isn't going to be easy, and I don't expect your forgiveness or even understanding. I just want you to listen to the whole thing before you, inevitably, leave."

She nodded again. The tears were so high in her eyes now she was sure that they were drowning. She was angry at herself. She had promised she would never cry over the likes of a man again and yet here she was, bracing herself yet again to be abandoned.

Ren looked torn, like he couldn't believe he was actually going to say what came next. He looked up at her, eyes wide and almost scared.

"When I was ten, I met a younger girl near a stream. I told her I was a fairy and gave her a stone to cheer her up and stop her from crying."

Kyoko, who had begun looking at her feet, snapped her head up to stare at him wide-eyed. She opened her mouth like a guppy, but closed it back tightly again.

Ren. _Tsuruga Ren_ was her fairy prince Corn?

She closed her eyes for a moment and pictured Corn, the fair-headed fairy prince who had cheered her up when she was crying. There were similarities, to say the least. How had she _not_ realized this earlier?

Kuon and Corn.

"I felt suffocated in America. I excelled at martial arts, acting, and school, anything I could do to be worthy to be my father's son – to surpass him. It weighed down on me like the weight of the world."

"Your father kept crushing your wings," Kyoko whispered.

Ren nodded and looked into his lap.

"Soon after I met the young girl in Japan, I returned to America. Once I turned thirteen, I began to rebel against the father that I had once idolized. I began stealing, fighting, doing anything I could to show him that I was nothing like him. I wanted to be my own person."

He stopped for a moment and took a deep breath.

"Other than my father and President Lory, no one else in the world knows all of this about me, Kyoko. When I was fourteen, I joined a gang. At first, all we did was vandalize, steal and torment. My father always bought me out of trouble, which only angered me more. Then, one day when I was fifteen, we went too far."

He paused and looked hesitant to continue. Kyoko, whose tears just began to spill through said:

"Ren, what happened? What did you do?"

He looked up at her with a look of sheer torment, grief and regret etched onto his beautiful face. Kyoko's heart stopped. This was Kuon, the true Hizuri Kuon.

"Before President Lory swept me off to Japan, before Tsuruga Ren was invented, I killed someone."

* * *

**AN:** WOW~! The cat is out of the bag. We are getting somewhere now, aren't we readers? Remember, reviews get me going, and keep me going. I am hoping to pump out another one in October - what with my wedding being in 23 days and the Final Fantasy Open Beta starting and working full time I don't wand to make a promise for another September release: but we will see!

How will Kyoko react? Next chapter: Kuu has a nice little talk with Kyoko's mom?


	18. Chapter 18

**Always Be My Baby**

by Kris Black

**Summary:** After going over lines for _TDM_, Kyoko and Ren have a night of passion and the result could not only cause a scandal, but ruin both of their careers. How will the two lovers withstand the trials of their love?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any part of _Skip Beat!_ the manga or the anime. I do not own any characters listed in this story except those you don't recognize. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money is being made off of the story as a whole, or in part.

**AN: **I was getting to the good part that I have been looking forward to forever, so I couldn't stop... Here is another update guys~!

Don't forget about my website: krisblack (dot) webs (dot) com

Enjoy!

* * *

"What do you mean, you killed someone?" Kyoko asked, almost in a whisper. Surely, there was some other meaning that she was failing to understand.

Ren took a staggered breath, staring at Kyoko's hands in her lap now.

"There was a gang fight. It was stupid. Everyone was fighting with one another and one of the opposing gang members came at me with a knife. I was weapon-less, my fists were my weapon, and I defended myself."

He paused for another moment, looking up at Kyoko briefly before turning his head to look out the window.

"I tried to move the knife out of the way, to disarm him, but one of us moved the wrong way, an unexpected way, and the knife ended up piercing him – a fatal wound."

Ren felt like he was reliving the moment all over again, like the knife had pierced him instead. Sometimes he wished it had. He didn't deserve Kyoko and he certainly didn't deserve a child.

Almost as if she knew what he had been thinking, Kyoko crossed the distance between them and folded her arms around him, her tears still flowing freely down her cheeks. She sobbed slightly into his hair when he folded his arms around her, pressing his face into her chest, breathing in her essence.

"You didn't mean to, Kuon," she whispered to him, using his birth name. "It was all just a big accident. It wasn't your fault."

He didn't reply, he just held her tighter.

They stayed like that for minutes, hours, days, time just blended together until it was only them in the whole world.

"How did you end up in Japan?" Kyoko finally asked, pulling back only slightly.

"My father hired the best lawyers; I was really torn up physically from the fight and emotionally. They managed to get me off on self-defence. I didn't recover from it, not really. In the end, my father called President Lory from his original acting firm, LME, and asked him to bring me to Japan so I could start a new life – as a different person."

Kyoko wiped her tears off of her face and looked at Ren, really looked at him. He looked broken, like he was that fifteen year old boy having to face repercussions all over again.

"I forgive you," she whispered and kissed him on the forehead.

He looked up at her in surprise and she blushed lightly.

"I really don't deserve you," he finally voiced. "Either of you."

Kyoko shook her head. That wasn't true. What he did in his past didn't matter. He had changed, he was a good person. He was a good person when she had met him before, all those years ago. Tsuruga Ren, Hizuri Kuon, they were the same person: the person that Kyoko cared for the most in the world.

"You are the person I respect most in this whole world. If anyone deserves anything, it is you."

He leaned in slowly towards her and she instantly shut her eyes. Their bodies adjusted naturally, without thinking, and their lips made contact for the first time in months. The kiss started out slow, comforting each other from their fears. As it went on, it slowly turned into something fiercely passionate, as if they had not seen each other in years.

When they broke apart, Ren looked down at Kyoko's swollen lips.

"I was expecting you to leave me and never come back, to cut me completely from your life." He confessed.

"I was expecting you to do the same," Kyoko confessed, looking at him.

"That would never happen," he answered. "I won't abandon you, Kyoko."

She stared at the carpet. She believed him. She wished she wouldn't, but she did. She respected him, looked up to him, cared about him, she never wanted him to leave her like everyone else in her life. She wanted to always be by his side.

Ren wanted to confess to her; he wanted to tell her that he loved her more than anything in this world, but he couldn't. If she knew that he was in love with her, regardless of what she said now, she would unconsciously push him away; push him out of her life where she couldn't be hurt. Instead, he settled with all he could get of her.

"Marry me."

"Ren?" She asked, startled.

"Marry me, Kyoko. Regardless of everyone else, regardless of Hizuri Kuu, marry me. I asked before but I am going to ask again now. I want you to always be by my side. I want our child-"

"Daughter." Kyoko interjected, her hands shaking with nervousness.

"What?"

"We are having a girl."

"A daughter," Ren's eyes lit up and he kissed her once more. "I want our daughter to grow up with us, with you and I together. I don't need love, Kyoko. I need you by my side, always. You deserve happiness. Marry me."

Could she do this? Ren looked at her so earnestly that she believed that she could. She had wagered with Hizuri-sempai about their marriage in any case. She did not want to subject Ren to a loveless marriage, but when he looked at her that way, all she wanted to do was say yes and have him kiss her to oblivion.

She shouldn't feel that way. She shouldn't get too attached.

Despite all of her concerns, despite all of her fears, her demons, her revenge, she nodded her head.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"I will marry you," she smiled.

He beamed, the smile that killed of a thousand demons in one go, and leaned in and kissed her once more, passionately.

When they pulled away, Ren looked at the clock. It was later than he had anticipated and they both had to work the next day.

"It is late, you should probably be getting to bed," he said just as she was beginning to yawn.

"But I don't want to take your bed from you," she persisted. "It is so huge; would it be so bad for us to share it?"

"Kyoko…"

"We will only sleep," she yawned again.

He agreed, hesitantly. He did sleep better in his own bed and he wouldn't protest to having Kyoko in his arms while he did so.

It was the best sleep either of them had had in about three months.

* * *

Finding Kyoko's mother hadn't been the difficult part, quite the contrary. When you have connections and a bit of money, people like to talk. No, locating the wayward mother had not been difficult.

It was convincing her to sign the papers that currently resided in a manila folder under his arm that could be the trying part. He hoped that she would cooperate. He had no idea what this woman was like, despite all of the background knowledge he had acquired during his search.

After all, she had abandoned her only daughter.

Hizuri Kuu walked up to the small, old house in disrepair and rang the ancient door bell. It appeared that even after having left her child she was still not doing as well as she would have hoped.

"Can I help you?" A man asked, answering the door.

He was wearing a dirty wife-beater and grungy pants. Although the man couldn't be much older than Kuu himself, he appeared decades older. This, Kuu knew from his research, was the reason the mother had left Kyoko with the Fuwa family years ago – for this poor and useless man, Kyoko had been abandoned.

"I need to speak with Mogami-san, please," Kuu asked politely.

The man scrunched up his face for a moment in what appeared to be confusion. Then, he turned and yelled for his wife, his mouth had few teeth left.

No class or respect.

Mogami-san appeared at the door moments later, looking just as haggard and used as her husband, only with more teeth.

"Can I help you?"

Kuu glanced at the husband, not sure if he was aware that Kyoko existed or not.

"I was hoping that I could talk to you alone for a few moments."

Her husband tensed up, obviously intimidated by the well-kept, well-dressed superstar.

"I don't think that is such a good idea," he said gruffly.

"It is about something that happened about ten years ago."

Mogami-san stiffened and looked back at her husband.

"Just for a moment," she acquiesced. "We will stay in sight."

Kuu stepped to the side to allow her to lead the way. She walked a little ways away from the house, but clearly still on the property, Kuu followed.

"Who are you and what do you want?"

"I am sorry, proper introductions have not been made. I hope you will respect my request for the utmost secrecy of my identity here."

He pulled his sunglasses off and extended his hand to her.

"I am Hizuri Kuu."

Her hand, instead of shaking his, flew to her chest. She may not have recognized him right away, but she certainly recognized his name.

"What- what on earth are you doing _here_, Hizuri-san?"

He pulled he manila folder out from under his arm. He grasped it firmly with both hands and passed it to her.

"In regards to your daughter, Mogami Kyoko, I would like you to sign these."

She opened the folder and pulled out the papers, looking at them cautiously, her brows furrowing.

"You want to marry her?"

"Oh, no!" Kuu laughed. "No, she is engaged to a colleague of mine and I promised them that I would find you. They were under the assumption that you may not want to have her around."

"Well, this is just ridiculous. She is too young to be married."

"She is already seventeen. I believe that you truly lost any real say in what she does when you abandoned her, did you not? The least you could do for her now is release her to join a family who wants her, who loves her."

Mogami-san glanced down at the papers again.

"This colleague of yours, who is he?"

"They requested that it is kept quiet…"

"Is it Fuwa Sho?"

"I- the pop singer? No." Kuu replied, flabbergasted.

"Who then? Tell me who she intends to marry, and I will sign the papers."

"It must be kept quiet…"

"Who will I tell? No one in these parts even knows I have a daughter," she argued.

"First, there is a paper in there for you to sign," Kuu instructed. "It is a statement agreeing that you will not have contact with Kyoko or her husband, the company either of them work for, or any children they may have in the future."

"I beg your pardon?"

"This is to protect everyone involved, including you, Mogami-san. Besides, you haven't had any contact with your daughter for years, were you intending to start again?"

"Well… no, but-"

Kuu stared at her and she gave up. She took the pen he offered her and signed the statement promising to keep quiet and stay away.

"I signed the paper. Now who is she marrying? It must be big for Hizuri Kuu to come all the way out here for it. Is he a superstar as well?"

Kuu sighed.

"This time next week, she and Tsuruga Ren are to be married."

"Tsu-Tsuruga Ren?" She stuttered, almost dropping the papers. She had heard of him before as well, it seemed.

"Will you sign the rest of the papers now?" Kuu pressed

She nodded and walked towards the nearest wall and using it to press on with her signature. She pulled her family stamp out of her purse and stamped in the correct boxes before passing it back to Hizuri Kuu, who thanked her.

"I wonder how she managed to get her claws into someone like him," Mogami-san asked, almost rhetorically.

"No doubt by acting the exact opposite of you," he said as nicely as he could back to the woman before taking his leave.

She hadn't even asked how her daughter was doing.

He got back in the car, headed for the airport to return to Japan. He called Ren's cell phone, only to find it turned off. Strange. Instead, he left a message:

"I just wanted to be the first to congratulate you on your upcoming nuptials, Tsuruga-san. I have the paperwork from Kyoko's mother in the seat beside me right now."

* * *

When Kyoko woke up the next morning, the light was already shining through the curtains, heating up her skin. She stretched and yawned in the comfortable bed, content with life. The bed beside her was empty, but there was a note lying on the pillow. Kyoko glanced over at the alarm clock, noting that it was late and that Ren should already be at work by now.

Kyoko turned over to pick up the note when she noticed light glistening off of her hand. She looked down to find the ring that Ren had used to propose to her the first time resting on her finger – a perfect fit. The large diamond glistened and the light bounced off of it onto the walls of the room. Kyoko smiled and picked up the note.

_Kyoko,_

_I hope that I do not have to get used to waking up by yourself. I know that you don't have work until later on this morning, so I decided to let you get as much sleep as you can, given your state and how late we stayed up last night._

_I will be at LME all day today; I am hoping we can eat lunch together._

_-Ren_

Kyoko put the note down on the bedside table and went about her morning routine. She had to be at work in a few hours and couldn't afford to sleep anymore. She had just finished her cereal when she heard someone knock on the door.

Maybe Ren had been expecting a delivery of some sort?

She walked to the door, poised to open it, when she thought better of it. It wouldn't do anyone any good if someone saw her inside Ren's apartment. Instead, she looked through the peep hole.

There was at least half a dozen men standing outside the door poised with professional cameras.

Kyoko gasped and backed away from the door, as if standing there would somehow allow them to see her. She looked to the dead bolt to ensure that it was locked, it was. Luckily, Ren had remembered to do so on his way out this morning.

_How had they gotten into Ren's secured apartment building?_

She nearly ran to the living room where she had left her cell phone the night before. She turned it back on. It vibrated lightly, letting her know that she was receiving a message. It was from Ren.

_Something happened. You need to come to LME as soon as you receive this._

Her hands shook. She couldn't possibly go to LME right now.

She tip toed towards the balcony as stealthily as she could manage. She opened the door slightly and peeked over the railing so that no one would notice her. The whole sidewalk was filled with paparazzi. She pulled back and hurried back into the apartment.

She flipped open her phone and dialled Ren's number as fast as she could.

"Kyoko?"

"Ren," she almost cried. "I can't get out. I can't leave the apartment!"

"Kyoko, what's happening?"

"There are paparazzi, Ren, they are covering the sidewalk and some of them are outside the door!"

"The apartment door? How?"

"I- I don't know," she answered. "But they can't find me here. They rang the door bell, but I checked before opening the door."

"Is the door still locked?"

"Yes."

"I have Yashiro-san calling the apartment security right now to have them removed. I don't know how they got in, but they won't be there for long, I promise," Ren soothed.

"How am I going to get to work?"

"Don't worry about that right now," Ren answered. "We have another situation on our hands here at the company. Another tabloid came out."

"_Another_ one? What could they possibly have now?" Kyoko asked, shutting all the curtains in the apartment despite being on such a high floor.

"It is an exposé this time. You would be surprised what a well-positioned cameraman and someone with a good imagination can come up with," Ren almost growled. "Our main focus right now is to make sure you are safe and to get you to LME."

"How are we going to do that?"

"I will think of a way, trust me."

"I do, Ren. With my life," she replied before they ended the call.

All she could do now was wait.

* * *

**AN**: I know it is a bit shorter than the last chapter, but I had gotten all I needed done in it. In the next chapter we can see just what exactly this expose says that has everyone riled up.

As usual, please review guys. I need feedback about what is going on :)


	19. Chapter 19

**Always Be My Baby**

by Kris Black

**Summary:** After going over lines for _TDM_, Kyoko and Ren have a night of passion and the result could not only cause a scandal, but ruin both of their careers. How will the two lovers withstand the trials of their love?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any part of _Skip Beat!_ the manga or the anime. I do not own any characters listed in this story except those you don't recognize. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money is being made off of the story as a whole, or in part.

**AN**: A bunch of stuff happened in my life, blah blah blah excuses. But, I took a vacation day from work today to get this pumped out to you guys! So, here she is. Please review.

* * *

The building security arrived almost as soon as Kyoko hung up the phone. The paparazzi protested and demanded, but that made no difference to the guards who escorted them out of the building. Kyoko sat on the couch, grasping her cell phone tightly in her hands. When the doorbell rang, she nearly jumped out of her skin. She didn't move to answer the door. If it were Ren, he would have the key and wouldn't have to ring the doorbell.

It rang once again, but Kyoko ignored it. Then, someone pounded on the door resoundingly. Again, Kyoko didn`t move.

"Kyoko, let me in! It's Kanae!"

Kyoko lurched off the couch and rushed to the door, turning the lock quickly and ushering her in. She shut the door behind her and locked it.

"Moko!" She cried and embraced her best friend. "How did you get here?"

Kanae stepped out of the embrace and put Kyoko at arms length away.

"Tsuruga-san and the President sent me for you because they would attract too much attention," Kanae said.

Kyoko thought of the President's pearl encased stretch hummer and found truth in what Kanae said.

"How did you get in passed all of the paparazzi?"

"As much as I hate to admit it, I am not as famous as you _yet_," she almost sneered. "So, they paid little attention to the car I was in. They have been escorted out of the underground parking of the building, so we parked there and that is how we will have to get out and get you to LME."

Kyoko nodded and grabbed her few things, getting ready to leave.

"How are you feeling?" Kanae asked genuinely, her hand resting on the door knob.

"Fine." Kyoko sighed. "I just want to see this tabloid."

Kanae's face darkened as she ushered Kyoko out the door, clicking the lock before it shut. She had read the article herself and hadn't liked one work of it. Stationed outside were two burly looking men in suits who Kyoko assumed were bodyguards of some sort. Kanae and Kyoko walked to the elevators as they followed and managed to make it to the black car that awaited them in the underground parking with no problems.

"Leaving here and entering LME is going to be the worst part," Kanae explained as she slid into the back with Kyoko and the body guards took the front, one behind the wheel. "Tsuruga-san said that the best thing we can do at this point is keep your face hidden so that they can't get a good picture."

Kanae produced a folded blanket and threw it over Kyoko's head.

"How long do I have to stay under here?"

"Until we are passed the cameras," Kanae replied as the car lurched forward.

A few moments later all Kyoko could hear was yelling and people knocking on the car and cameras going off like strobe lights, it was all beginning to make her feel a little light headed to be truthful. The car blew its horn a few times and continued on, the yelling and flashing fading into the distance as quickly as it came. Kyoko pulled the blanket off of her head and held it in her lap, clenching it tightly.

"It will be far worse at LME; they will call and notify the reporters there that you are on your way."

Kyoko nodded, she realized that it would probably be the case – despite any efforts to quell the crowd. They had about a ten minute drive to LME, so Kyoko rolled her window down a crack, enjoying the fresh air and peace while she was able to. She threw the blanket back over her own head when she saw the LME sign on the top of the building and she ducked down into the seat as much as she could manage. The lights started again like a second sun and the yelling and bounding were like she was taken out of reality and placed directly in the middle of a battle field.

The car edged slowly this time, inundated with people all hoping to snap a picture of her trapped in the car. Perhaps she had become more famous than Fuwa Sho now, despite it being infamy?

Finally, after what felt like eons, the car was submerged in darkness, signalling that they had finally made it into the locked underground parking for employees only.

"It is probably safe to take the blanket off now," Kanae said, patting Kyoko on the knee gently.

Kyoko took the blanket off and folded it before running her fingers through her static-filled hair. The guards parked the car directly in front of the elevator before getting out and opening the doors.

"Go straight up to the President's office," the guard who had been driving instructed before getting back into the car, presumably to drive it to an actual parking space.

The other guard stepped into the elevator with them and pressed the number for President Lory's floor. The ride up the floors was silent except for the dull humming of the elevator moving upwards. The door dinged, signifying that they had reached their destination, and the elevator doors opened slowly.

Ren was standing beside the elevator when Kyoko stepped out anxiously.

"Are you alright?" He asked as he placed a hand on her forearm.

She nodded and followed him down the corridor towards the president's office. Yashiro was there, along with President Lory and Hizuri Kuu. Kyoko sat down on the couch opposite the President and the superstar and Ren sat down beside her. Kanae came in a few moments later and quietly stood beside Yashiro. There were magazines piled on the coffee table in front of the President which Kyoko assumed held the dreaded tabloid story that was causing such a ruckus this time.

The president saw Kyoko eyeing the pile and took the first magazine off of the top and passed it to her. Ren twitched as though he were going to grab for it but thought better of it. Kyoko took a deep breath and looked down at the cover.

It was the Daily Inquirer, which was the first thing she noticed. The second being that there were pictures of herself, Ren and him splashed all over the front cover. The headlines were little better than the pictures:

_Tsuruga Ren & Fuwa Sho: "I will fight for her._

_Fan's outraged!_

_Kyoko has also been spotted with Reino from Vie Ghoul and, most recently, coming out of a gynaecology office with non-other than Hizuri Kuu!_

_Actress Kyoko –_

_Torn Between Two Superstars_

_This fiery young new actress has both stars vying for her attentions._

_Sources claim that Kyoko, who had been spotted months ago exited the apartment complex of Tsuruga Ren, has had visits to the set of Dark Moon from non-other than Fuwa Sho. Tension runs high between Fuwa and Tsuruga as Kyoko tries to choose._

Kyoko's nostrils flared and her demons came out full-force. _Trying to choose?_ Like hell. Fuwa Shotaro wouldn't even be in the running if he were the last man on Earth. All of his gallivanting around with no thought about others had caused this mess. If he had have just stayed put and left her alone, there would be absolutely no story to report, despite all the lies the headlines spewed.

Kyoko flipped through the pages to the article while the others in the room remained quiet. Her demons were swarming like never before, feeding off of her feelings of revenge and anger.

_Actress Kyoko – Torn Between Two Superstars _

_This fiery young new actress has both stars vying for her attentions. Sources claim that Kyoko, who had been spotted months ago exited the apartment complex of Tsuruga Ren, has had visits to the set of Dark Moon from non-other than Fuwa Sho. Tension runs high between Fuwa and Tsuruga as Kyoko tries to choose._

_ The recent success of Actress Kyoko with LME has caused many heads to turn. Her almost instant success after a shot CM with a fellow actress and music video with star Fuwa Sho have shot her to fame, along with her role in the Dark Moon hit drama. Some would call this success hard work and determination, but just how much did her hard work have to play in her success?_

_ Many employees at LME and other agencies Kyoko has worked at have stated that she seemed to have an unusual and close relationship to both Tsuruga Ren and Fuwa Sho who work at two separate companies. Upon further investigation, it seems as though Kyoko had been living with Fuwa Sho until only six months ago after which time she moved to a Daruma._

_ In the past months, she has been spotted in precarious situations with both Tsuruga Ren and Fuwa Sho. Three months ago, she was spotted entering Tsuruga Ren's apartment complex late at night and not exiting until early the next morning. She has also been photographed in a lip-lock with Fuwa Sho, shown below. Not only that, we also have a photo of Tsuruga down on one knee at an exclusive celebrity resort, appearing to be proposing. However, Kyoko has never been photographed wearing a ring. Is she really leading on these two famous actors to advance her career?_

_ As if Tsuruga Ren and Fuwa Sho were not enough for Kyoko, she has also been seen at various times (including on Valentine's Day) with Reino from Vie Ghoul and just yesterday she was photographed leaving a clinic superstar Hizuri Kuu! With so many celebrity male friends vying for her attentions, it is no small wonder why she has sky rocketed to fame with so little effort... _

Kyoko slammed the magazine shut and tossed it back onto the pile it came from.

"They go on to talk about your background and your mother as well," Kuu said in a soft, sad voice.

"How did they manage to get all that information and those pictures?"

"You would be surprised what a well-placed camera and money to get people talking can do," the President responded. "All of these other magazines have much the same."

"What are we going to do about it?" She demanded.

"There is nothing we can do about it. The story is out there for the public and there is no way we can reverse that." President Lory said. "The only thing we can do is set the story straight with hard evidence and the truth."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that we are holding a press conference for you and Ren to clear up all of these rumours tomorrow. I have already sent an invitation to the president of Fuwa Sho's company for the pop star to join the conference to held clear up the situation."

Kyoko had to stop herself from snorting. _Yeah right_. The only thing Fuwa Shotaro is good at is feeding the flames.

"And before the press conference tomorrow at noon, you two are to be married and Kyoko must be on the Family register," Kuu finished.

Kyoko couldn't do anything really but blink. She had agreed to marry Ren only last night, but this was a bit earlier than anticipated. How could they possible get married within the next twenty four hours?

"What about my mother?" Kyoko asked.

"Oh, with everything that is going on we must have forgotten to mention it," Kuu said and passed her a manila folder. "All of the papers you need are in there and signed by your wayward mother. You may not put her completely out of your mind. This time tomorrow you will have a new mother and father who will care for you very much."

Kyoko just held the manila folder.

"You can't force us to do this," Ren argued.

"No, we can't." President Lory affirmed. "But you must see that it is the best solution for everyone involved."

Ren looked over to Kyoko who was fiddling with the manila folder in her arms. His heart swelled and he had to stop himself from looking away. He took the manila folder away and placed it on the coffee table. He took her hand in his and stood as she repeated the motion.

"Where are you going?" President Lory demanded.

"We are going to speak alone. We won't leave the building. I will come back here after we are done."

Kuu nodded which was a permission that Ren didn't need because he and Kyoko were already out the door. He led her down the stairs to the seventh floor. Kyoko had never needed to be on the seventh floor before because it was mostly offices, so she followed Ren's lead. They stopped in front of a door labelled "Tsuruga Ren".

"You have an office?" Kyoko asked as Ren stuck a key from his pocket in the door and turned it.

"I don't use it often. Yashiro makes the most use of it, filing my contracts and keeping track of all the job offers and my schedule and such."

He swung the door open and gestured for her to enter before following and shutting the door behind them. The office was larger than she had expected. There was a tall filing cabinet in the corner and a large desk beside it complete with a computer. The walls were decorated with posters of movies and shows that Ren had starred in and there was a couch and a chair opposite the desk most likely meant for entertaining. She sat in the couch and Ren sat down in the chair.

"What do you want to do about all of this?" He asked. He was the first person to do so.

"I promised last night that I would marry you and I also promised Hizuri-sempai. I want to keep my promise. It might not be how I imagined it, but it might be for the best for everyone – like the president said."

"How did you imagine your wedding?"

She described her dream wedding to him, the one that she had been dreaming about since she was young – only this time she was imagining Ren as her groom instead of _him_. She wanted to wear a gorgeous white wedding gown like the western brides do and be beautiful enough to look like a fairy princess. She wanted tons of beautiful flowers. She wanted to get married in a church with her close friends and have a huge party afterwards. Ren smiled at her the whole way through and just nodded his at the end of it.

"Wait here for me, alright? I need to run an errand. Are you hungry or anything?"

Her stomach growled in response.

"I thought so. I will send someone over with some food to feed you both." He kissed her on the forehead and left the office.

The food was delivered shortly after Ren had left, as promised. Kyoko ate in contentment, wondering what Ren could be doing at this very moment. Maybe he had a job that he had to attend to before anything else could be done. After all, work was still very important despite what was happening.

Ren returned within the hour, followed by a couple of stylists that she recognized from the styling department – a blonde one and a brunette.

"Kyoko, if we are getting married we are doing it right," Ren said. "These are the best stylists we have in the company and President Lory has lent them to you for the day. Go with them and they will get you ready. Someone will come and get you when it is time to go."

"Go? Go where?"

"It's a surprise, but I will see you when you get there. Enjoy yourself, Kyoko, you deserve it." He gave her a smile so brilliant that she felt the need to put on sunglasses and a couple of her demons fried. He then left back where he came from, leaving her in the hands of the stylists.

"We have to get you down to the dressing rooms stat," the blonde said. "From what I am told, there is a lot to do and not much time to do it."

Kyoko hastily followed them to the elevator which took them to the floor where all of the costumes and styling areas were. It was mostly vacant, which was surprising given the time of day a lot of the LME stars should be getting ready to head out for their jobs. The brunette took Kyoko's hand and led her towards the costumes.

"These are all of the wedding dresses that we have in your size on such short notice, please feel free to choose whichever you like best," she instructed pointing Kyoko towards a whole rack on white gowns.

"Really?" Kyoko asked, her eyes filling with stars as she saw all of the beautiful dresses.

The brunette affirmed and showed her which she thought would look the best on Kyoko. After selecting one, the brunette passed her onto the blonde stylist who sat her down in a chair in front of a mirror and told her to shut her eyes. Kyoko felt the whispering make up brushes tickling her face as someone ran their fingers through her hair.

"Would you be opposed to a longer, styled wig?" One of the stylists asked. "Don't worry, they are quality wigs and don't look fake at all."

Kyoko remembered wearing all of the wigs for her characters, none of which looked even the slightest bit fake. She then thought of her own cropped dyed hair. She wanted to look like a beautiful fairy princess.

"I don't mind," she answered.

Her hair was pinned to her head and a wig was placed as her make up was finished. Kyoko moved to open her eyes, but a hand blocked her view.

"Oh no, you can see yourself once the dress is on."

They led her away from the mirror, only letting their hands fall once they were out of viewing range. The brunette helped her into her chosen dress before the clasped a necklace around her neck and placed something on her head.

"Alright, you are ready and just in time too," the blonde said, leading her towards a full-length mirror.

It was all Kyoko could do not to gasp. She was beautiful. She looked just like the fairy princess that she had always imagined. Her make-up was flawless. Her dress was like satin on her body that flowed all the way down to the train. The sleeves were sheer and rugged were they fell from her arms and small transparent wings that were built into the dress protruded from her back, giving her an ethereal look. She wore a long black, curly wig almost the exact colour of her natural hair. Her throat was a vision of pearls and blue stones almost the exact colour of her own charm. On the top of her head was a white tiara fit for a princess. She looked like a fairy princess fit for Prince Corn. She almost cried.

"Kyoko, it is time to go," Kanae's voice called from the entrance.

Kanae's hair was also done in pretty curls and she was wearing a deep green dress that hit her knees.

"Moko you look so pretty!" Kyoko said, hugging her.

"Yeah, well you are one to talk," Kanae said awkwardly as she pulled out of the hug. "Come on, if we don't leave now we are going to be late."

"Where are we going?" Kyoko asked after thanking the stylists and following Kanae out of the room.

"You will have to see when we get there."

She led Kyoko back down to the underground parking.

"Is it safe to be leaving LME?"

"It is in what we are leaving in," Kanae said, motioning to the pearl-encased stretch hummer gently purring as it waited for them. "They would never think that you were leaving in the President's stretch hummer. Although, I was instructed to seat us in the middle, just in case."

Kyoko and Kanae both got into the hummer and sat in the middle where it would be the hardest to photograph them. The hummer pulled out of the underground with very little fuss and soon they were on their way. Kyoko's hands fidgeted nervously in her lap as the hummer drove into the countryside. The drive was long, silent and each minute that ticked by made Kyoko even more curious as to where they were going.

The hummer stopped in front of a small church in a tiny rural town. The driver got out and opened the door for them helping them both out of the large vehicle.

"I have to say, that Tsuruga Ren is really something not human," Kanae said, staring at the church.

The stairs and entryway were covered in flowers. Kanae and Kyoko walked towards the doors, which opened for them. Inside, the beautiful old church was also covered in flowers wherever they could be placed. Music began playing and Kanae smiled at Kyoko before she began walking down the aisle slowly. Kyoko choked back tears for the millionth time that day. This was her wedding; this was her perfect wedding that Ren had put together for her in mere hours. A deacon on her right passed her a bouquet of flowers, which she shakily accepted. The music changed and she began her slow decent down the aisle after Kanae.

Everyone was there that was close to her, even the owners of the Daruma. Ren had let nothing slide passed him. Every single thing that she had described to him was present. There, at the altar, was Ren standing next to Yashiro. When she reached him, he took her hand in his and smiled at her. She smiled back, letting out a happy sob.

The priest began speaking but Kyoko didn't hear a word of it, completely concentrating on Ren. Ren, who would do this much for her simply because she had unwittingly requested it. They exchanged the vows that the priest said for them to repeat and placed the bands that Ren had produced onto each others fingers. The bands were simple white-gold with a diamond placed in the centre of each and Kyoko loved them. They signed the marriage certificate and added her name onto the Hizuri family registry. Then, for the first time ever, they shared a kiss as husband and wife.

The hummer had been able to fit the whole wedding party and the guests that had attended the wedding. They returned to LME where Kyoko had been told there was a celebration going on in honour of the marriage. Kyoko and Ren were the last ones out of the hummer as everyone else laughed and made their way towards the elevator and the party. Ren held Kyoko's arm gently and pulled her back, trailing behind the others.

"I didn't get a chance to say how beautiful you are today," he said, stopping them and looking into her eyes. "You look like a true fairy princess."

She blushed deeply.

"I want to thank you for making this so magical and so perfect for me," Kyoko said. "I never expected it, but it was absolutely amazing."

"It was the very least I could do," Ren smiled at her.

"Come on, you don't want to miss your own party do you?" Kanae's voice called from the elevator, bringing them back to reality.

Kyoko and Ren made their way to the elevator holding hands. Despite the tabloid and the horrible morning that they had had, this day couldn't have been more perfect.

* * *

**AN:** So, probably two more chapters left. One for the press conference and the new married life wherein they have to move in together. The last one will probably be skipping a few months to the birth of the little angel. Please look forward to it. I hope to do some more writing today, but right now my laptop is overheating and my cat just won't leave my arms no matter how hard I try to get her down.

Oh, and check out my website for a view of the tabloid cover page: www (dot) krisblack (dot) webs (dot) com or the link is in my profile.

Again, please **review**.


	20. Chapter 20

**Always Be My Baby**

by Kris Black

**Summary:** After going over lines for _TDM_, Kyoko and Ren have a night of passion and the result could not only cause a scandal, but ruin both of their careers. How will the two lovers withstand the trials of their love?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any part of _Skip Beat!_ the manga or the anime. I do not own any characters listed in this story except those you don't recognize. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money is being made off of the story as a whole, or in part.

**AN**: Alright, here we go. This is most likely the last full chapter of ABMB, which is bittersweet. I got the confrontation that I have been waiting for out here, which is the main point of this chapter.

I know it may be a little late, but I made a trailer for ABMB and it is on YouTube. You probably can't just search it because of the generic name, but you can probably search my account (username KrisBlack4) or go to my website at: www (dot) krisblacks (dot) webs (dot) com where I will most likely be posting a link to the trailer. There is a link to my website in my profile.

* * *

"Kyoko, you look tired. Maybe we should head back?" Ren said after a few hours at the reception party.

They had done all of the traditional western events like the pictures, first dance and cutting of the cake and Kyoko looked more tired than he felt himself. It had been a long day for them both and tomorrow wouldn't be any better. Kyoko nodded in reply and allowed Ren to lead her out of the make-shift hall LME had created in one of the studios.

"Where am I staying tonight?" Kyoko asked.

It was a valid question. She had merely stayed over at his apartment the night before with all of the intentions of returning to the daruma. However, now they were married and neither had really thought about the living arrangements after the fact.

"Maybe we should stay at my place?" He offered.

Kyoko thought about it. Was this really the way that she had anticipated spending her wedding night – contemplating whether to return to her own haven or stay with her husband? _Husband_. The word made Kyoko light headed and strange. She thought she would never want or have a husband, not after what happened, and especially not at this time in her life. Never in a million years would she have even thought of Tsuruga Ren having that title.

"I will stay with you," she answered finally. "I am exhausted and your apartment is closer."

He kissed her forehead and they walked to the elevator together, going down to the underground parking where Ren had parked his car earlier that morning. Kyoko got in and buckled up, resting her head against the headrest and closing her weary eyes for a moment. It had been a long day and she couldn't wait to get into bed. She was thankful that it was late and the paparazzi had cleared off hours ago or getting out would have been more than she could handle and she may have just resigned herself to sleeping on that couch she had seen in Ren's office.

They managed to make it back to the apartment with no problems and Ren immediately pulled into the secure underground parking. Kyoko barely had enough energy left to walk as they went at a staggeringly slow pace (mostly due to her) to the elevator that would take them up to the apartment. The elevator seemed to take an eternity to reach the designated floor. Her eyes were closing even as Ren was opening the apartment door.

"I can't possibly sleep in this wedding dress," Kyoko said. It was too beautiful for her to even consider it.

"You still have your duffel bag here from yesterday; you can wear the same night clothes as you did last night."

She nodded and slowly made her way down to the bedroom to get changed. Ren knocked on the door fifteen minutes later to check on her. Receiving no response, he opened the door gently. On the bed Kyoko lay sleeping soundly, changed into her nightclothes. Ren couldn't stop the contentment from showing on his face. She must have been so tired she had fallen directly asleep as soon as her head hit the pillows. He walked over and tucked her in before changing out of his suit and climbing into bed beside his new wife.

* * *

The next morning was the first morning that Ren had been there in the bed beside her. They had been granted the next day or two off by the president, with the exception of the press conference they were to attend later that day. Kyoko lay in bed and watched Ren sleep. He looked innocent and young, almost like the Corn she remembered from childhood. Her face brightened and she brushed a stray piece of hair from his forehead. Her wedding band caught the sunlight that filled the room and glistened.

What was she doing still laying in bed? She should be preparing a breakfast feast for her new husband. Kyoko gently slid out of the bed and made her way quietly to the kitchen. She was pleased to see that Ren had the refrigerator stocked with food and easily found all the ingredients she was looking for. She found an apron in the linen closet and donned it before preparing the meal.

It wasn't until mid-way through cooking breakfast that Ren came into the kitchen, heading right towards the coffee maker that Kyoko had already turned on in preparation. He poured himself a cup of the rich brew and drank as much as he could of the hot beverage in one gulp.

"You are up early," he said once he sat the coffee cup down.

"I wanted to make a nice breakfast for us for our first married morning. It is the least I can do. Plus, a healthy breakfast is the best way to start the day."

"You didn't have to trouble yourself this morning of all mornings," he chastised. "But it smells absolutely delicious. I can't wait to try it."

Kyoko was astounded that Ren had said he was looking forward to eating. He seemed must have had some sort of childhood trauma regarding food to make him dislike it as much as he did, eating as a chore and necessity only. Then, Kyoko thought of his father, Kuu, and it did not surprise her suddenly that something like that could have occurred.

When breakfast was ready, Kyoko laid out the rice, miso soup, tamagoyaki, natto and broiled fish out in the traditional Japanese style as she had been taught by Shotaro's mother. Ren sat down opposite of her on the western-style table in the kitchen and they ate in relative silence. To Kyoko's surprise, Ren ate every last bit of his meal and even had an extra bowl of rice.

"You don't have to force yourself," she insisted.

"This is some of the best food I have ever eaten. If you keep cooking like this, I don't think I will ever be able to skip another meal again."

"Then I will cook like this forever," Kyoko said seriously. It had always been a concern of hers when he often skipped meals simply because he was too busy or just forgot.

When they had finished eating, Ren insisted on cleaning up and ushered Kyoko to the living room and turned the large television on for her before returning to the kitchen. One of the main entertainment news shows was on and Kyoko took the remote, turning the volume up a bit to hear the announcer. When they had just finished the initial report Kyoko was shocked to see her face displayed on the screen.

"In other news, it has been reported that the company that actress Kyoko works for has scheduled a press conference for today regarding the various rumors and reports that have been circulating around the internet and the industry. One of our very own reporters will be attending this event. It is uncertain if there will be anyone attending the conference other than Kyoko herself. More to come tonight."

Kyoko muted the television just as Ren returned to the living room, sitting beside her.

"How many reporters do you think are going to be at the conference later today?"

"I am not sure," he replied casually. "But the President directed me to have us there at least an hour before hand for make-up, wardrobe and preparations."

"That sounds a lot like what happens right before filming a scene," Kyoko noted.

"It most likely will be. There will be someone there tutoring us on how to respond if certain questions come up," said Ren. "Just try to relax and not feel too stressed about it. How are you feeling today?"

"Better, now that I don't get morning sickness anymore." Kyoko touched the bump on her stomach.

Ren beamed and placed his hand large hand over Kyoko's small delicate hand. Their wedding bands chimed when they came in contact. They sat like that for a moment, basking in the small comfort that was their family.

"I was thinking that maybe we should look at some houses."

"Houses?" Kyoko asked. She thought that they would be living in Ren's apartment.

"With the baby on the way, I think that it might be better if we looked at some houses instead of the apartment - it would be a better environment and I can certainly afford it. It wouldn't take much for me to sell this apartment. Plus, when the baby is born I would prefer if the paparazzi didn't know exactly where we live."

"I just thought that we would live here, I never even considered a house." Kyoko answered truthfully. "How are we supposed to look for them? We would easily get spotted if we went to an office."

Ren chuckled and stood. He disappeared down the hallway into the bedroom before returning with a catalogue in his hand. He sat back down and passed the catalogue to Kyoko. It was a list of real estate in and around the area.

"I had Yashiro pick it up for me a little while after I found out you were pregnant," he confessed. "Even if we didn't marry, I intended to buy a house for you."

"I- I couldn't have accepted such a gift!" Kyoko said astonished and blushing.

"Well, we don't have to worry about that now because it will be _our_ house."

They flipped through the catalogue for the rest of the morning, bookmarking and highlighting potential houses that they were interested in seeing. By noon they had narrowed it down to only a few houses that they wanted to look at. Ren promised to pass the information along to Yashiro and have him set up times to view the houses that worked with both of their schedules. Kyoko yawned and rubbed her eyes and Ren suggested that she take a nap. They had a long night the night before and the press conference was only in a few hours and she should be well rested for it.

Kyoko wanted to refuse, but found that she had no energy to do that either. So she crawled back into bed for a rest trusting that Ren would wake her in time to go and prepare for the press conference.

* * *

Ren had been right when he described how things would go before the conference. Once they had arrived at LME she was rushed to a dressing room where a make-up artist, hair stylist and clothing stylist were waiting for her. The clothing specialist made Kyoko spin around once before she took off to the rack of clothes that she had brought with her. Kyoko was ushered to the chair in front of the mirror to sit while the make-up artist worked on her. Soon after, her hair was done prettily and she was in a tunic-like shirt, leggings and a pair of fashionable healed boots.

The stylists left when an assistant with a clipboard walked in and began questioning her with some of the potential questions that the paparazzi may ask. Kyoko tried to answer each to the best of her ability, only to be corrected several times and be told when she should use the response "no comment". She was also informed that there would be a master of ceremonies that would be directing the press conference to ensure that all went well.

Silently assuring herself that everything would be okay, Kyoko was still a ball of nerves when one of the other assistants came and announced it was time to go. Kyoko stood shakily and allowed the assistants to lead her toward the conference. Ren was already waiting by the door, dressed in casual wear that looked almost formal and was more gorgeous than anyone should ever be allowed to be.

"We are waiting for one more person," Ren said when she made it to his side.

She was about to ask who when footsteps echoed behind her. She turned away from her husband to see who the newcomer was. Shockingly blond hair and a tall frame greeted her gaze and it was all she could do not to scream and attack. There, standing before her, was Fuwa Shotaro - still dressed like a rebel punk at that. Her demons screamed and swarmed.

"What are you doing here?" She asked darkly when he was close enough so that no one but they could hear.

"Didn't your company tell you? They requested that I come here and try to douse the fires of your _scandal_."

"I didn't think you would actually come," Kyoko replied. "Unless you are here to try and ruin me, in which case I should just take you out right now."

"I will behave myself, scouts honor," Sho teased before growing serious and lowering his voice. "But how are you doing? Not that I care or anything..."

"That is none of your business," Ren cut him off, moving Kyoko closer to himself.

"And it is yours?" Sho laughed. "Simply because she is carrying-"

"It's time." One of the assistants cut him off mid-sentence.

The air around the three cooled and grew tense as they put on their acting masks. Whatever happened between them all would have to wait until the press conference was over and done with. The door opened in front of them to reveal a large conference room with a hundred people sitting inside, maybe more. They walked in one by one and took a seat at the head table set up, complete with microphones. Ren and Sho both sat at the end with Kyoko separating them in the middle. Cameras were going off like flash bombs and the clicking was the only thing that could be heard over the sound of one's own heart beating like a drum of war.

The master of ceremonies commenced the press conference. He was someone that Kyoko recognized from LME, but no one that she had officially met. Kyoko wondered if perhaps Ren knew him in some way or another. It wasn't until the open questions started that the press were allowed to speak and as soon as they were, the room nearly exploded.

The reporters began with simple and unintrusive questions like what her home town was. They then moved to her mother and her abandonment and how she had ended up in Tokyo. She answered them all calmly in wholly edited versions of the truth. It wasn't long before the reporters got to the issues they were truly curious about.

"What is your relationship with Tsuruga Ren and Fuwa Sho, Kyoko?" One reporter asked anxiously.

Kyoko looked from Sho back to Ren. When she finally created a response that she was sure would do the assistant that tutored her briefly proud, Sho had already spoken up.

"We are just childhood friends," he replied smoothly. "Our mothers were best friends and she often stayed at my house as a child and we were close. We both decided to come to Tokyo and fulfill our dreams in the industry and we are fortunate to both have been so lucky to have gotten this far and still remain as close as we have."

It took all of Kyoko's willpower not to snort into the microphone. The reporters who did not have a recording device were writing furiously. The demon-king sensor in Kyoko's head began to go off furiously and she stilled, petrified. She did not want to look over to Ren, but it was inevitable - like driving by a car crash and looking, even when you know you shouldn't. Ren was beaming his demon king smile that was enrapturing the reporters. Kyoko's demons were swarming, all wanting to be closer and closer to their king.

"What about _Vie Ghoul_ and Hizuri Kuu?" Another reporter asked, not bothering to wait for the answer about her relationship with Ren, as if they all assumed it was just a confirmed fact.

"_Vie Ghoul_ happened to be recording at the same location that the _Dark Moon_ was filming. We accidently ran into each other once or twice. He is nothing more than a stranger, an acquaintance at best," Kyoko replied the rehearsed line. _He is also a freaking terrifying esper and monster_, she added to herself.

"Hizuri Kuu is an old friend of mine I knew when I was a child," Ren answered the last bit. "He was with Kyoko that day as a special favor to me."

"And what about the relationship between yourself and Kyoko then? What was happening in the supposed proposal picture?"

Sho looked down at Ren, barely hiding the smirk that crossed his face. Kyoko wanted nothing more than to jam the glass of water that sat beside his hand fully down his throat as he resisted grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"That is exactly as it looked," Ren said finally. "I was proposing."

A thousand more cameras went off and a few audible gasps.

"And what was the answer?" Another reporter asked.

"We are already married. I even brought some wedding pictures to show," Ren smiled to the crowd as the lights dimmed and the reporters buzzed and talked to each other in a volume so loud that Kyoko had to refrain from covering her ears.

A projection screen came down on the side of the room and the pictures they had taken the day before were projected onto it for the paparazzi to view. Sho shook beside Kyoko as he watched, his jaw clenched and his hands curled into tight balls. When the slideshow finished and the lights returned to normal, the reporters' cries of questions came again, only to be cut off by the master of ceremonies concluded the conference for the day.

The three stars stood and bowed before exiting the room into a smaller adjoining one in which they were to wait until the press cleared the building. Sho was the first one in, followed by Kyoko and Ren. Almost the moment the door shut behind them, Sho whipped around and punched Ren square in the face. Ren staggered backward from the unexpected blow.

"What do you think you are doing?" Kyoko yelled, running to her husband.

Ren wiped the blood from his lips and stood up.

"Do you honestly think that you can just waltz around doing whatever you please?" Ren asked darkly.

"I can't believe that you actually married her," Sho laughed bitterly.

"Yes, well, I am not the kind of guy that runs off to Tokyo with a girl and then leaves her stranded after sucking every once I can out of her."

"Well at least I didn't get her pregnant."

Kyoko looked at him outraged.

"You never touched me and you never will."

"You are just a spoiled little boy," Ren said to Sho. "You discarded Kyoko like an old toy that you didn't want anymore and as soon as another child picked her up and was interested in her you want it again."

Sho's nostrils flared in outrage.

"Do you know that she said that you are talentless? She told be repeatedly that I have more talent than you any day." He countered. "Every time you appeared on television she would say that to me, right after she worked all day and served me dinner when she got home, like a good little _wife_. Even now, all she can think of his her revenge on me, isn't that what has driven her career? Whether it is hate or love, we both know that I am the only one she has room for in her heart."

Ren's jaw clenched and he dove, punching Shotaro square in the jaw. Sho dropped to the floor from the hit and covered his jaw with his hand.

"If you ever come near my wife again, Fuwa Shotaro, I won't stop with just one punch," Ren said before taking Kyoko's hand and leading her out of the room and home to their apartment.

* * *

**AN:** Mostly filler, bust necessary. Again, next chapter will probably show a bit of the rest of Kyoko's pregnancy and then possibly the birth. I also have to send Grampy back to the States for a bit. So, there should only be one more chapter and the epilogue (which will be short).

**PLEASE REVIEW! I WELCOME FEEDBACK AND LOVE TO HEAR WHAT YOU THINK OF THE STORY!**

Reviews are like drugs.**  
**


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